Author: Zhang Feng

In today's world, where the digital wave sweeps across the globe, the concept of "KYC" has long transcended its traditional boundaries, evolving from a compliance process for financial institutions to a standard for user management on internet platforms. However, the vast majority of platforms still understand KYC merely as a "compliance tool"—a one-way, static, and closed identity verification mechanism. Platforms collect users' identification documents, phone numbers, email addresses, and other information to "know" their users, primarily to meet regulatory requirements and mitigate risks, rather than genuinely serving user value. This form of KYC is essentially a "defensive" strategy that builds walls around data but fails to construct bridges of value.

True KYC should not stop at compliance but should point towards value. It should not be a one-time identity collection but a dynamic process of continuously understanding user behavior, respecting user rights, and returning data sovereignty to users. It signifies a leap from "Know Your Customer" to "Keep Your Customer Value"—continuously safeguarding and amplifying user value. The key to achieving this transformation lies in liberating user behavior data from "data silos" and constructing a "value network" that benefits users, merchants, and the ecosystem through quantification, rights confirmation, and circulation.

1. From "Data Recording" to "Value Co-Creation": Reconstructing the Logical Foundation of KYC

In the traditional internet model, platforms are the "monopolists" of data. Users book flights on airline apps, check into hotels via mini-programs, and write reviews on OTA platforms—every action is recorded by the system but rarely assigned real value. This data is locked in their respective servers, forming "data silos." Users have neither sovereignty over the data they create nor any benefits from it; platforms optimize their services and enhance advertising revenue through this data, while users, as the source of the data, become passive "data providers."

True KYC starts with acknowledging that user behavior itself is a form of value creation. Every consumption, every share, and every interaction should be seen, measured, and rewarded. This requires platforms to redefine "valuable behavior" and establish a fair and transparent value measurement system.

Unified Value Measurement: Issuing Ecological Tokens. We propose issuing a blockchain-based "Cultural and Tourism Token" as the "universal currency" of the entire ecosystem. It is no longer a private point system of a single platform but a value carrier that circulates across different scenarios. The essence of the token is a digital mapping of user behavior, a tangible expression of user contribution within the ecosystem.

Defining and Quantifying "Valuable Behavior." For example, consumption behaviors: spending 100 yuan at a partner hotel earns 1 token; purchasing a scenic spot ticket earns 2 tokens; interactive contribution behaviors: publishing a quality travelogue earns 5 tokens; completing a designated route check-in earns 3 tokens; providing suggestions that are adopted earns 10 tokens.

These behaviors are automatically triggered through APIs and smart contracts, recorded on the blockchain, with a transparent and immutable process. At this point, KYC is no longer a one-time identity registration but a continuous record of behavior and value mapping. What the platform "knows" is no longer a static identity label but a dynamic, quantifiable user value contribution. Users transition from being passive "data objects" to active "value co-creators."

2. From "Platform Ownership" to "User Sovereignty": Reshaping the Trust Mechanism of KYC

In the traditional model, even if user behavior is recorded, the ownership of the data still belongs to the platform. Users cannot carry, transfer, or use it across platforms. This form of "pseudo KYC" essentially locks users within walls, creating a form of implicit "digital slavery." True KYC must achieve a qualitative change from "data" to "assets" and realize the return of data sovereignty to users through technological means.

Creating User Digital Identities (DID). Users no longer log in with phone numbers or emails but use a decentralized identity. This DID is the "passport" of users in the digital world, fully controlled by the users themselves, independent of any centralized platform. The DID is not only an identity identifier but also a symbol of user sovereignty in the digital world.

Binding Assets to DID. Every "Cultural and Tourism Token" earned by users is automatically sent to a digital wallet linked to their DID through smart contracts. NFTs earned (such as "Gourmet" or "Adventure Pioneer" badges) are also collected under their DID. These asset records are on-chain, with clear and inalienable ownership.

As a result, data no longer belongs to the platform but transforms into digital assets owned by the user's DID. The platform can use the data to optimize services, but the ownership, control, and revenue rights of the assets remain with the user. This is true KYC: not only "knowing your customer" but also "respecting your customer"—respecting their rights, acknowledging their value, and returning the ownership of value to them.

3. From "Rights Islands" to "Circulation Ecosystem": Unlocking the Value Potential of KYC

If user assets can only be used on a single platform, they remain tokens in a "digital cage," unable to truly release their value. True KYC must promote the free circulation of assets within the ecosystem, becoming "universal rights" across merchants, scenarios, and applications.

Tokens as "Universal Currency." For example, tokens accumulated from flights can be used to offset rental fees at car rental agencies; tokens earned from writing reviews can be exchanged for NFT digital souvenirs at cultural shops; users holding a large number of tokens can have priority access to special experience tickets at popular scenic spots.

NFTs as "Universal Rights Certificates." For instance, a user holding a "Historical Researcher" SBT (Soul-Bound Token) can automatically receive a professional audio guide at a history museum in another city; a user holding a certain hotel’s "Diamond Member NFT" can enjoy shopping discounts at partner scenic spots.

Data (through SBT) as "Credit and Preference Assets." Users can choose to authorize homestays to view their SBT information (such as "no damage record," "quality creator" badge), allowing for quick booking based on trustworthy data and receiving special treatment.

At this point, KYC is no longer a monopolistic tool of the platform but a "value ID card" managed autonomously by users. It carries not only identity but also credit, preferences, history, and rights. Users can seamlessly navigate the entire ecosystem with their DID and on-chain assets, enjoying personalized, high-value services. The platform, by accessing this open network, gains more diverse user profiles and more precise marketing channels.

4. The Technical and Commercial Foundations for Achieving Value KYC

Building such a user-centered value network relies on a solid technical architecture and commercial collaboration mechanisms.

Alliances and Standards. It is necessary to establish a "Cultural and Tourism Digital Ecosystem Alliance," involving leading industry enterprises, technology platforms, and standard organizations to formulate token economic models, data interface specifications, and mutual recognition agreements. Only by establishing unified standards can we break down platform barriers and achieve cross-scenario interoperability.

Blockchain Underpinnings. As a trusted clearing layer, it ensures that all tokens and NFTs are issued and circulated transparently. The choice between alliance chains or public chains must consider performance, cost, and compliance requirements, ensuring data is immutable and transactions are traceable.

Smart Contracts. Automatically execute reward distribution, rights exchange, and revenue-sharing rules without intermediaries. Code is law, and the transparent execution of contracts is key to building user trust.

User Wallets. A unified, seamless, and secure wallet embedded in apps or mini-programs to manage DID, tokens, and NFTs. The user experience should achieve "invisible technology, tangible value," allowing users to easily manage their digital assets without needing to understand the underlying blockchain technology.

5. The Ultimate Goal of KYC—Returning to Human Value

Traditional KYC is for compliance and platform security. True KYC, however, is not only for compliance but also for value, for the dignity of users.

For users, every consumption and participation is the starting point for accumulating personal digital assets. These assets can be "carried around," exchanged for real and diverse rights throughout the ecosystem, truly realizing "my data, my assets, my rights." Users' contributions and efforts in the digital world are continuously recognized, elevating their identity from "passive consumers" to "active value co-builders."

For merchants, they access a highly engaged user network, gaining precise customers and marketing channels through issuing rights, and earning revenue shares by serving other ecosystem users. Merchants no longer need to invest heavily in building their own membership systems but can share an open, vibrant digital economy.

For the ecosystem, a powerful value closed loop is constructed. Users stay because their assets are transferable, and merchants join due to user aggregation, forming a self-reinforcing, continuously expanding digital community. Data and value flow freely within the ecosystem, driving the entire industry from "zero-sum competition" to "symbiotic win-win."

This is no longer a series of isolated "data walls" but an open, symbiotic, and prosperous value network. Here, KYC is no longer a threshold but a bridge—connecting behavior and value, users and merchants, data and rights. It redefines the relationship between platforms and users and reinterprets the meaning of "trust" in the digital age.

True KYC is not for compliance but for value—so that every user's value is seen, respected, and amplified. In the future digital ecosystem, only those organizations that truly understand and practice this concept will earn users' long-term trust and continue to create value and lead change in fierce competition.

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