• Numbers’ NFT Search Engine will be content-based and blockchain-based.
  • Search data will be based on a unique content address (IPFS/Filecoin CID).

TAIPEI, DECEMBER 9, 2021 — Numbers Protocol, in its mission to redefine the nature of digital visual media as assets, recently released the world’s first Web 3.0 Search Engine for NFTs. 

Since the World Wide Web was first conceived in the early 90s, there have been significant updates from Web 1.0’s “Static Web” to Web 2.0’s “Social Web.” While Web 2.0 has been essential for both individuals and organizations around the world, several issues have hindered it. The centralization of Web 2.0 has led to censorship issues, data manipulation and algorithm-based search results based on data profiles that continue to hinder what users search for.

Web 3.0, the “Semantic Web,” represents the next stage in the internet evolution, a decentralized platform focusing on content-based search results. Numbers Protocol is excited to be at the forefront of Web 3.0 with its innovative Search Engine for NFTs, which is in line with the core characteristics and values of Web 3.0

Web 3.0 Search Engine breakdown

Numbers’ Search Engine for NFTs has two key components: content-based and Web 3.0-based. Because it is a content-based Search Engine, users can upload a file without knowing its token address or token ID, and the result shows the history and other details associated with the NFT file.  In Web 3.0, every content file has a unique address generated from the IPFS distributed web system.  During the search, the engine can use this CID to find key information associated with the content file. 

The results from the search provide a wealth of information about an NFT, such as its token history, token ID, contract ID, creator ID, current owner ID, and marketplace links. This information can help users better understand just how “unique” an NFT is based on how many tokens are in circulation. NFT Search Engine can also easily identify potential violations, such as multiple creator addresses.

Currently, the Search Engine’s coverage includes leading marketplaces such as OpenSea, Foundation, Rarible, SuperRare, Refinable and CaptureClub with hopes of achieving full coverage soon. More information about Numbers’ Search Engine for NFTs can be found here.

Importance of Web 3.0 storage and retrievability

As NFTs explode in popularity, data behind NFTs will become extremely important, not only for on-chain records but also for the physical storage behind NFT files. Besides continuously increasing the data coverage and expanding the Search Engine to other networks such as Binance Smart Chain, the Search Engine will also guarantee the retrievability of NFT files.

Bofu Chen, founder and chief training officer of Numbers Protocol, said “During development, we realized more than 80% of NFTs are actually stored on centralized servers, and 35% of them were even missing and not accessible. While indexing NFTs is a critical first step, accessibility of these digital assets is equally important. For Web 3.0 to thrive, all NFT files should be pinned on decentralized storage such as Filecoin’s NFT Storage (https://nft.storage/). Only when the retrieval of content is guaranteed can NFTs truly represent valuable assets in Web3.”

Andrew Woo, head of operations at Protocol Labs, said, "We’ve seen an explosion of activity in the NFT space in the past year, reflecting the potential of Web 3.0 and the possibilities for creators and communities. Until now, however, there hasn’t been a great system for indexing these NFTs. Numbers’ NFT search tool will provide greater accessibility and authentication to the space."

Numbers Protocol truly believes in the vision and tenets of Web 3.0 and is committed to growing the Web 3.0 ecosystem with its decentralized photo network and Web 3.0 Search Engine for NFTs. Users can try out the beta version of Numbers’ NFT Search Engine at https://nftsearch.site/.

About Numbers Protocol

Numbers is building a decentralized photo network for creating community, value and trust in digital media. Numbers’ protocol redefines the nature of digital visual media as assets and is the backbone of a suite of tools for registering and retrieving photos and videos in the Numbers network — the capture app, Seal API, and the trace website — plus the CaptureClub marketplace and a proprietary NFT Search Engine. Numbers champions the purity of digital media and enables people to think more critically about the interactions between our images and the world around us.

For the latest updates and announcements, follow Numbers on these channels:

Website: numbersprotocol.io 

Twitter (Numbers Protocol): ​​twitter.com/numbersprotocol 

Telegram (Numbers Protocol): t.me/numbersprotocol 

Discord: link.numbersprotocol.io/discord

Medium: medium.com/numbers-protocol 

Media contact: Sofia Yan, sofia@numbersprotocol.io