It's no secret that one of the significant challenges people face online is the potential for privacy violations - data and ID theft being among the most alarming hazards. This problem has been exacerbated by companies that store user data on centralized systems like cloud storage, which means they're essentially waving a red flag for data thieves. Yet, these same companies are also grappling with the performance and memory usage challenges posed by maintaining large databases.
Cue a remarkable new patent (US20230342822A1) by Hiwave Technologies that's aiming to not only help secure your data, but make the internet a more empathetic space, one digital token at a time. Your feelings, as expressed on social media, could become the foundation of a new kind of digital value exchange, making the internet a more interactive and empathetic place.
The patent revolves around the idea of creating and using digital tokens—a kind of digital money, but not exactly. These tokens will be born out of the sentiments that people express on different social media platforms. Each token, under this idea, will represent a unique feeling or sentiment that a group of people share online.
Perhaps you're wondering, why anyone would want to turn feelings into tokens? For starters, this will help studying and forecasting trends based on what the world is feeling at any given time—getting insights into the world's mood, if you will. However, the patent isn't just tunnel-visioned on the 'feeling economy.' It has its eyes set on data and identity protection too.
Hiwave's groundbreaking patent introduces a 'transitory sentiment community.' To put it simply, it suggests a system where data is not stored in a central repository but shared across a network and discarded after use. This not only decentralizes data and reduces the temptation for hackers, but also significantly improves database performance and conserves memory usage.
Now let's imagine a future where Hiwave's patent becomes a reality. We would live in a world where the power and value of emotions become tangible. Imagine expressing joy over a cultural event on social media and then having this positive sentiment transformed into digital tokens. These could then be exchanged for other goods or services, creating a unique digital economy based on human emotion. It isn’t just about the economy, though. The patent could also lead to greater empathy in online spaces, as our feelings play a visibly substantial role.
However, it's worth pointing out that while this patent holds the potential to revolutionize our online interactions and data security efforts, it is only a patent for now. That means, it may or may not materialize into an actual product or service in the market. For now, though, it certainly provides a fascinating glimpse into what the future of the digital world could look like.