Open a search engine, and the system begins predicting your intent as you type the first letter; swipe through YouTube, and the recommended videos seem to already know what you want to watch next; when products you've browsed suddenly appear in advertisements on social media platforms, our digital behavior is being painted into a precise profile by algorithms. 2025 is called the "Year Zero of AI" by many experts, and human data models are gradually becoming products to be bought and sold, rather than subjects with rights to their usage. However, Primes Lab Founder Ben Chen raises a reflection: today everyone enjoys a convenient life, but a deeper question is: as internet users, can we choose not to be recorded?
Secure Online Access Without Logging In. Zero Registration is the Beginning of a Cybersecurity Revolution
Traditionally, various cybersecurity solutions such as VPNs, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), and Network Attached Storage (NAS) can provide encryption protection, but the prerequisite is that you must register an account to use the service. However, as long as there is registration, the network service system will have a related identifier. When the account is linked to behavior, the platform can build a digital profile, tracking the user's digital footprint. To solve this problem, Primes Lab has launched a decentralized cybersecurity solution unlike any other on the market.
Ben Chen emphasizes that Primes Lab's solution is not intended to replace mainstream platforms, nor does it deny the convenience of centralized architectures. Instead, it aims to supplement the shortcomings of the current network architecture in high-privacy demand scenarios. He points out that one of the current market pain points is the increasing distrust among users towards third-party intermediaries on platforms. The decentralized security module provided by Primes Lab can serve as an extension of mainstream services, helping platforms develop products that differentiate the market, such as providing private communication channels that do not go through platform relays for enterprises or individuals who value privacy and have strict security requirements. Although these users are not the mainstream, they can create new service value and profit sources for the platform.
Zero Registration, Zero Configuration. A Small Black Box Redefines Your Relationship with the Internet
Ben Chen emphasizes that Primes Lab offers more than just encryption technology; it provides a connection method that cannot be identified. The company's core product, Private Matter Gateway (PMG), is about the size of an Apple TV and contains a router, network ports, and a remote communication module. Its core technology is "zero registration, zero configuration." Usage is extremely simple: just plug it in, connect to the network, and press a button to start. No technical background or any web login settings are required. After the user imports the VPN connection profile, they can directly establish a peer-to-peer encrypted channel, creating a bidirectional encrypted tunnel with remote devices, completely without cloud server relay and without uploading any identity information, fundamentally blocking the possibility of identity recognition and behavior tracking.
Primes Lab's "zero registration, zero configuration" design concept challenges the default logic of the current digital world. By not using an account login mechanism, it allows users to establish connections with others or their own other devices without leaving any identifiable records. The zero-configuration method solves the problem of overly complex settings in traditional security tools. Most VPN or private network deployments require network knowledge, while Primes Lab's device extremely simplifies the usage process, making it easy for those without network technical expertise to use. For example, for cryptocurrency holders, this device can also be used for off-site backup of Bitcoin cold wallet private keys, providing a peer-to-peer secure access channel without touching cloud connections or going through third-party platforms, ensuring the long-term preservation and sovereign control of digital assets, while also having the characteristics of easy access and convenient transactions.
Ben Chen points out that if security solutions can only be deployed by engineers, they will never truly protect ordinary users. This is also Primes Lab's product philosophy. He further states that the combination of zero registration and zero configuration is the first step in realizing information sovereignty. If technical decentralization cannot lower the barrier to use, it will only remain at the ideal level. Primes Lab's innovation makes "information sovereignty" usable, deployable, and popularizable.
When Humans are Defaulted to Transparency, You Can Still Choose Not to Be Seen
Ben Chen concludes by saying that after entering the AI era, the internet is not just a connection tool but an omnipresent collection and modeling system. Every swipe, click, login, and account connection expands a data profile about "who you are?" behind the scenes, even without the user actively providing information. In the past, the concern was about being eavesdropped on or spied on; now, the risk has shifted from "passive exposure" to "default analysis." The internet is no longer a neutral channel but a core node for learning and inference. The problem is not how strong AI is, but that humans have been defaulted to a transparent existence without the right to choose not to participate.
What Primes Lab challenges is not just technical difficulties but this default logic itself. Ben Chen emphasizes that Primes Lab is not about rejecting AI or shutting down the internet, but about leaving an extra exit on this path, allowing users to decide for themselves when to participate, when to withdraw, and when to simply exist quietly without leaving a trace.
Credit: Primes Lab
Credit: Primes Lab
Article edited by Joseph Tsai