Japan – [25 January 2024] – Meta Akita, an authorized spin-off of the public interest incorporated association ‘Akita Dog Preservation Society,’ has today announced it will integrate Layer 1 blockchain Concordium’s wallet featuring Web3 ID to preserve Akita Dogs. Thanks to the Web3 ID feature, Akita dogs and their ownership can be verified without users’ personal information, providing new opportunities and unprecedented levels of data ownership to the global Akita dog community. The collaboration seeks to function as a means to more broadly communicate the culture and history of Akita dogs as part of Meta Akita’s regional revitalization efforts.
About the history of Akita Dog
The six main Japanese dog breeds (Shiba, Akita, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kishu, and Kai) originated from two ancient breeds, the Jomon and Yayoi. The Akita-Inu specifically is a blend of these two. Their more recent ancestors, the ‘Matagi-Inu,’ were bred by ‘Matagi’ hunters in Akita’s mountains. Initially, Akita-Inu were known as ‘Odate-Inu’.
Based in Odate City in the Akita Prefecture, Meta Akita is undertaking innovative digital initiatives for the protection of Akita dogs and regional revitalization. These include the issuance of Akita dog NFTs, the proceeds of which are redirected as charitable donations to improve the prefecture, building the world’s largest dog metaverse to connect the Akita community to the rest of the world, and developing the world’s first blockchain-based pedigree app.
TASUKOF, co-founder of Meta Akita, says: “Our partnership with Concordium enables us to leverage innovative, digital tools as part of our mission to protect the Akita dog breed and revitalize the Akita Prefecture in a regulatory-compliant manner. Thanks to Concordium’s unique digital identity framework, we can meet KYC requirements without asking our users and community to divulge sensitive information in the process. In other words, we can advance our mission in new ways and bring safety and privacy to our community.”
The Concordium wallet featuring Web3 ID is a tool for managing digital identity on the blockchain while keeping personal data private, thanks to Zero-Knowledge Proof technology. Users can prove their identity while maintaining control over what information is shared, meaning organizations can verify those identities without accessing sensitive information. Furthermore, because this framework combats identity fraud, users can rest assured that the individuals they are interacting with are who they claim to be.
Torben Kaaber, Head of Commercial at Concordium, adds: “Meta Akita has recognized the value of new Web3 tools to further its honorable mission of improving the Akita Prefecture and protecting the Akita dog breed. It’s great to see more and more companies looking to blockchain technology to develop use cases that emphasize data privacy and safety for its users.”
Meta Akita, through this integration with the Concordium blockchain, will bring enhanced privacy protection to its Akita dogs NFTs and metaverse This collaboration symbolizes the fusion of a mission to protect the traditional Akita dog breed with cutting-edge digital technology. Together, Meta Akita and Concordium aim to pioneer a new era of regional revitalization and digital innovation.
