Beldex COO: Web3 must build privacy into products

Dr. Alex Mok Kong Ming, chief operating officer of Beldex, said Web3 products should be designed with privacy to protect users’ digital rights as public blockchains and everyday internet services expose personal data. He presented Beldex’s suite of privacy-by-default tools as an integrated approach covering messaging, browsing, identity and payments.

Mok argued that public ledgers and common internet services create permanent records that can be combined with automated tools to profile users. He stated, “Privacy is not a feature. It is a right,” and warned that transparency on blockchains can leave ordinary payments, salaries and business activity visible.

BChat, Beldex’s messaging product, requires no phone number or email and uses BChat IDs to avoid common identity anchors. Mok highlighted metadata as a major risk: even when messages are encrypted, records of who communicates with whom and when can reveal social networks. BChat routes messages through decentralized masternodes and is built to avoid collecting or storing metadata, according to Beldex.

For internet access, BelNet applies onion routing across Beldex’s masternode network to move traffic through relays and exit nodes. The system aims to provide VPN-style privacy without relying on a single centralized operator. Mok described decentralization as a way to remove the need to trust one provider with browsing data. Users will be able to host private web applications on .bdx domains using BNS over BelNet, a setup Beldex compares to .onion hosting on Tor.

The Beldex Browser integrates private network access into the browsing experience and is designed to reduce tracking and intrusive advertising. Mok said usability is a barrier to adoption and stressed that simpler user interfaces are needed for nontechnical users to protect their privacy.

The Beldex Wallet focuses on confidential transactions while BNS replaces long wallet addresses and service identifiers with human-readable names. Mok described a model of selective transparency for finance where users can prove compliance, age or eligibility without revealing full transaction histories, and he noted Beldex is researching zero-knowledge proofs for age verification.

On regulation, Mok urged early engagement with authorities to show how privacy-preserving systems can support lawful participation. Beldex has published a MiCA-compliant white paper and notified it under EU jurisdiction, and the company plans to participate in Istanbul Blockchain Week in June 2026. Beldex is also developing a private peer-to-peer marketplace for .bdx domains, and its token BDX is available on decentralized and private swap platforms.

Beldex presented its products as connected parts of an ecosystem intended to maintain privacy across communication, browsing, identity and transactions.