Cloudflare announced cloudflare.id, a persistent identity tool allowing merchants to verify that an AI agent is acting on behalf of a user, paired with a functional wallet. Payments are processed via the open-source x402 protocol in USDC on Base, Coinbase’s layer-2 blockchain. Approximately 57% of current web traffic consists of bots, according to Cloudflare. The x402 protocol automatically triggers payments when an AI agent accesses a paywall or premium API, without requiring an account or checkout page. Cloudflare plans to launch its Monetization Gateway platform on July 1, 2026, enabling website owners, API providers, and dataset publishers to charge AI agents for access.
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