Have you ever thought about how much your data is worth?

The current problem is that the data we generate every day is fully consumed by centralized platforms, which act as "data brokers" and make huge profits, while the true data owners — that is, us — get nothing. This is a typical case of value misallocation.

Walrus Protocol aims to change this situation. It is not just a storage tool but intends to establish a complete data value exchange system. How does it do that? Through several key innovations:

**First, verifiable data.** Records of each data upload, transfer, and usage are stored on-chain, making them tamper-proof. Fake data and fraudulent data have nowhere to hide.

**Second, privacy-preserving computation.** Data can be analyzed and used while encrypted, for example using zero-knowledge proofs, to achieve "my data can be used but not seen." This ensures the privacy of data providers is protected, while data users can still obtain the value they need — a win-win situation.

**Third, autonomous pricing and revenue sharing.** Data owners set their own usage conditions and prices, with automatic settlement via smart contracts, eliminating the need for manual approval.

It is worth noting that Walrus has chosen to build on a high-performance chain. This chain supports high-frequency trading and low-latency confirmation, making it especially suitable for small transactions that occur frequently in data markets. Data usage rights can be verified, divided, and even traded like NFTs, which is difficult to achieve on other infrastructures.

Overall, this system has the potential to truly return the value of data to its creators.