Kaito restarts the "earn-by-attention" economy, but many are hesitant to install the new plugin

Original: Odaily Planet Daily (@OdailyChina)

Author: Asher (@Asher_ 0210)

Your X feed might soon be flooded with "talk-to-earn" projects again.

On August 18, Kaito AI announced the launch of its browser plugin, Kaito Pulse, further linking users' discussion activity on X, on-chain activity, and social influence. At the same time, Kaito unveiled its first collaborative project post-relaunch, Axis Robotics, reigniting incentive models centered around content creators and community contributors.

Unlike the simple content incentives previously tied to Yaps, this time Kaito aims to do more than just "reward posting." The goal is to establish a new scoring system built on "attention + behavioral verification."

What is Kaito Pulse?

Kaito Pulse is a browser plugin by Kaito designed to integrate more "on-chain identity" information directly into the X timeline, allowing users to see not only what an X account says, but also the real market behavior behind it.

Once installed, users can view other users' on-chain activity directly in their X timeline, including public trading positions from platforms such as Polymarket and Hyperliquid, helping them further assess whether an account's stated views align with its actual actions.

By combining social influence with on-chain behavior, Kaito hopes to transform X from a mere information dissemination platform into a social layer that merges "opinions, identity, and trading behavior."

This marks Kaito's evolution from Yaps to Pulse.

Previously, Kaito primarily tracked the热度 of crypto discussions on X to build content influence rankings and incentivize user participation around KAITO. However, as a large number of accounts began mass-producing content, the limitations of measuring influence solely through discussion volume became increasingly apparent. Therefore, Pulse adds new dimensions such as content influence, community engagement, and on-chain behavioral verification, while also introducing a new scoring system, Aura, to measure user influence alongside verified on-chain actions.

Previously, Kaito cared about who generated the most discussion; now, Kaito focuses on whose discussions are worth trusting.

Plugin Permissions Too Broad, Sparking "Data Collection" Controversy Post-Launch

The launch of Kaito Pulse has ignited heated community discussion, with many suggesting that a new wave of "talk-to-earn economy" is on the horizon as market conditions recover. However, Kaito Pulse also quickly triggered debates within the community regarding privacy permissions after its release.

Kaito Pulse Plugin Accused of Multiple Deep Data Collection Practices

Ultra posted on X stating that an analysis of the Pulse plugin's code revealed it may be involved in multiple data collection activities, including device fingerprinting, behavior tracking on the X platform, and third-party account verification.

Among these, the most concerning issue is device identification. Ultra stated that Kaito Pulse may generate device fingerprints using information such as GPU rendering results, hardware models, and hardware test audio, and then associate this information with X accounts, potentially compromising anonymity for multi-account users and community matrix accounts.

Beyond device information, Ultra also raised questions about the scope of user X behavior data collected by Kaito Pulse. The plugin may record certain user behaviors on the X platform, including browsing paths, content dwell time, click actions, and following status, while using periodic requests to determine if a user is active.

Furthermore, third-party account verification is also a point of contention. Ultra pointed out that Pulse involves verification processes for ChatGPT, Claude, and multiple trading platforms, suggesting these processes could potentially access sensitive user data such as subscription status, usage quotas, and trading account information.

Community Divide: Verifying Authenticity or Sacrificing Privacy?

In the Yaps era, Kaito primarily relied on X discussion heat to gauge influence. But as numerous accounts began mass-producing content, the community gradually focused on a key question: Does high engagement necessarily equal genuine influence?

By incorporating additional dimensions like on-chain behavior and external account verification, Kaito Pulse aims to reduce the room for rankings based purely on posting and interaction, bringing influence scores closer to users' actual contributions.

However, more verification mechanisms also mean users must grant access to more data. Consequently, the community holds two distinct views on Kaito Pulse:

• Supporters argue that the biggest problem with InfoFi is inflated metrics and fake influence, and only by adding identity and behavioral verification can a more credible incentive system be established;
• Skeptics, on the other hand, contend that platforms should not endlessly expand data collection scope in pursuit of scoring accuracy, and that a new balance must be found between user privacy and incentive rewards.

Official Response to Privacy Concerns: Kaito Pulse Does Not Access Users' Raw Data

In response to community criticism, Kaito founder Yu Hu subsequently addressed the concerns.

Yu Hu stated that Kaito Pulse's design principle is data minimization. The product's goal is not to collect user data, but to verify specific identities or behaviors through validation mechanisms with users' explicit consent.

Addressing concerns about account information, Kaito Pulse will not access users' full account content, nor will it store users' raw data. These processes are primarily used to generate verification results; the platform receives proof information, not users' underlying data.

Regarding the controversy surrounding external account verification, Kaito Pulse employs verification technologies including zkTLS, aiming to allow users to prove they possess certain off-chain identities or behavioral records without exposing raw data.

At the same time, Yu Hu also acknowledged that some permission displays may be prone to misunderstanding, and future versions will further optimize permission descriptions and user notifications.

The Next Step for the "Talk-to-Earn Economy": Verifying Influence or Surrendering Privacy?

The discussion sparked by Kaito Pulse essentially underscores the unavoidable data dilemma facing the InfoFi sector.

In the past, platforms judged an account's value primarily based on follower counts, engagement metrics, and content popularity. However, with AI-generated content, batch accounts, and matrix operations becoming increasingly common, sheer "discussion volume" is increasingly inadequate as a proxy for genuine influence.

As a result, Kaito is attempting to introduce more verification dimensions—and with that comes controversy. As platforms seek to further prove "who you are" and "whether your views are credible," users are required to disclose more and more information.

For users, installing the plugin to participate in the next round of the "talk-to-earn economy" also means reassessing a fundamental question: How much data are they willing to open up in exchange for rankings, points, and potential rewards? Platforms need more data to distinguish genuine influence from fake hype; but users, in turn, need assurance that this data is truly used only for verification purposes and does not become a new digital profile.

Kaito Pulse aims to verify user influence, but as it accumulates more device, behavior, and account data, Kaito itself has become the party under scrutiny.