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What Is the Masa Network?
Masa (MASA) is a blockchain platform that provides access to user-consented, hyper-specific behavioral and personal data and decentralized LLM algorithms. The platform launched its operations on Apr 11, 2024. Masa operates as a subnet on the Avalanche (AVAX) blockchain. To enable cross-chain functionality, it has also integrated LayerZero’s interoperable technology. This lets Masa bridge assets, initially to two key blockchains, Ethereum (ETH) and BNB Smart Chain (BSC), with additional chains to be added in the future.
Masa provides user-consented AI data that’s stored in a decentralized way. As of mid-April 2024, more than 40 million data points from over 1.4 million web3 user wallets are available via its permissionless data layer. Masa represents an entirely new decentralized AI paradigm: while most data providers use centralized storage solutions, its platform’s data is always stored in a decentralized, blockchain-based format.
Masa’s Technology
The data made available via Masa’s platform is user-consented for collection and privacy-protected using its Zero-Knowledge Soulbound Token (zkSBT) technology, which allows users to share their personal data securely and confidentially by storing this encrypted data on the blockchain. Thanks to the zkSBT, users can share fairly detailed personal data while protecting their identities and the specifics of their online activities.
This user-consented data is directly sourced from users through the Masa App and Masa Chrome browser extension with their consent. Users have complete control over their data, which is collected in a highly detailed, verified and ethical manner.
As such, it’s different from the typical user-aggregated data collected from the internet by companies. Compared to user-consented data, user-aggregated data tends to be less granular and, obviously, has ethical strings attached to it: in most cases, users don’t consent to the collection of such data, or (at best) provide reluctant consent by clicking on annoying “Accept All Cookies” buttons.
While focusing mostly on user-consented data, the Masa platform also offers developers a way to access user-aggregated data for a richer data network. Using Masa’s web data scraper, developers can extract data from websites, social media posts, blogs and online databases.
User-aggregated data is collected by data node workers via the Masa Oracle network and Masa Chrome extension and stored on the platform, benefiting from the security and immutability provided by blockchain technology.
In addition to datasets, Masa enables the decentralized execution of LLM algorithms, facilitated by the Oracle node workers, who leverage their surplus CPU and GPU computing power to run open-source LLMs for fine-tuning AI models.
What Does Masa Aim to Achieve?
The Masa project aspires to achieve goals crucial to the development of all data and AI industries. First, Masa allows individuals to completely control their own personal data by choosing what to share with the outside world while protecting their confidentiality. The blockchain-based storage mode also ensures the security of the stored data. Additionally, users can monetize access to their personal data, becoming a major beneficiary of its use.
All of these benefits are in stark contrast to the traditional way user data is collected, stored and used on Web 2.0 platforms. In this traditional mode, one is often unaware of what personal data is collected about them, as well as when and by whom. Although the data used for analytics purposes might be in an aggregated form, together with the details of other online users, individual users are still part of the “guinea pig” cohort whose details have been unceremoniously extracted and utilized without their knowledge or consent.
Moreover, when hit online with some fairly relevant advertising based on past search phrases, one begins to realize that data isn’t always used in an aggregated format. In fact, its utilization can be quite personalized. And of course, in the traditional mode of data collection, we’re all rarely reimbursed for the data we share.
Another aim of the Masa project is to provide a secure and efficient decentralized infrastructure for running LLM algorithms. Traditional, centralized hosting solutions for AI models face challenges, such as technical capacity and security issues. For instance, many centrally hosted LLM-based solutions suffer from performance degradation when large numbers of users access them simultaneously. Masa’s approach to leveraging decentralized resources for running open-source LLMs efficiently addresses these capacity limitations, providing enhanced scalability and reliability for AI applications.
How Does Masa Work?
Masa operates as a subnet on the Avalanche blockchain, using cross-chain communications supported by LayerZero to access other networks as well. Avalanche subnets are completely independent blockchain networks with their own set of rules and functionalities. Subnets, including Masa, use Avalanche’s validators, or a subset of validators, to secure the network and achieve consensus.
Besides the validators, the Masa network has another type of functional nodes — Oracles. These special Masa nodes play a critical role in providing structured data and advanced AI models while prioritizing data privacy.
The Masa Oracle network acts as a decentralized web scraper, gathering data from Masa’s data staking pool and organizing it for AI training and development. This approach gives developers access to hyper-personalized training data to improve language model performance. It also supports the decentralization of LLMs, making them easily accessible without complex setup.
As mentioned above, users can manage access to and monetization of their personal data points via Zero-Knowledge Soulbound Tokens (zkSBTs), which provide a secure way of providing access to users’ personal data without compromising their privacy.
Masa App
The Masa App is the main gateway for users to interact with the Masa platform. Stake or bridge your MASA, claim MASA airdrops, monetize your data points by staking them in various data pools at Masa’s Marketplace and create your own domains.
MASA currently offers a staking program whereby stakers can choose to lock up their MASA tokens over a period of three, six or nine months. Locking your MASA for three months earns you 15% annual percentage yield (APY), a six-month period will give you 20% APY, and the full nine months lets you maximize your earnings with a 25% APY. You can then view your staked balance and track your earnings easily in the Masa App.
MASA is also currently holding an airdrop rewards program. Eligible participants can reap a token bonus of up to 44% by locking their airdropped tokens for one year via the Masa App Airdrop page.
What Is MASA?
Masa’s native cryptocurrency, MASA, is a utility and governance token used to reward users for providing their data to the network. Staking MASA also earns you crypto rewards. Entities who wish to utilize data held by the network pay for access to it in MASA tokens. The token is also used to reward the Oracle nodes.
As a governance token, MASA lets you participate in votes on any changes and upgrades to the platform’s rules or fee structure.
The token’s supply economics doesn’t specify a maximum cap. MASA’s total supply is 1,588,866,523, which will be released gradually over a period of around four years starting in April 2024. Token supply allocation shares and release schedule are per the table below.
