Web2 leaves users in the dark.

Walled gardens in tech create massive data shadows—opaque expanses of user-generated value that are monetized only by the giants.

Consider Apple's recent actions in the Fortnite case, in which a court ordered Apple to allow developers to direct users to alternative payment methods. @Apple introduced a 27% fee on those external transactions and implemented discouraging “scare screens”—moves the court deemed willful violations of the injunction.

ICYMI all of your clicks, your purchases, your preferences—all of it is data that you’re being forced to give away.

And what’s worse? You don’t really know what’s being recorded or how it’s being used.

You can’t access your Web2 data. You can’t verify it. And you don’t benefit from it.

That’s the shadow. It follows you but is never quite yours.

Web3 turns on the light.

Web3 protocols create data mirrors—transparent, verifiable, composable reflections of your user behavior and intent.

Interact on-chain and you’re creating a data trail that you can access, remix, or reclaim at any time. No gatekeepers, no NDAs, no adtech middlemen.

💡 Your data trail becomes your reputation.

💡 Your reputation becomes a credential.

💡 That credential becomes capital, usable in creative ways across Web3 protocols.

Web3 turns data exhaust into pure signal. Not just for protocols, but for protocol users, too.

Shadow to mirror is a paradigm shift—from purely extractive to mutually empowering. Mirrored data unlocks whole new economies built around trust, coordination, and digital identity.

And that’s why the decentralization of your data actually matters.

@AnimcocaVentures is backing the protocols that build the mirrors.