Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Don't Let Facebook Control Your Online Identity, 'Ethereum Sign-In' Is Coming

Don't Let Facebook Control Your Online Identity, 'Ethereum Sign-In' Is Coming

David Z. Morris points out the dangers of letting Facebook control your online identity. He argues that one alternative would use your Ethereum wallet instead, and let you control your own data.

Over the past few weeks, Facebook has been raked over the coals in the press and U.S. Congress for practices that are hard to regard as anything short of evil. In essence, the company allegedly knew for years that its algorithms were pointing users to content that was harmful in a variety of ways, but did nothing, because change would mean losing money.

If you’ve ever used your Facebook account to log into another service online, you’ve been helping the social network make your online experience more toxic, even if you’re not a user of Facebook.com itself. Or maybe you do much the same using Google or Apple identity services. All involve major trade-offs – like possibly having your data shared with U.S. intelligence.

It’s one of the core quandaries of today’s internet. While the ‘net’s inherent anonymity is definitely a good thing, it leaves users of ID-reliant tools in thrall to major centralized identity providers and their seemingly inevitable abuses. Blockchain developers have long talked about developing “decentralized” identity standards to save us from the dangers of Big Login, and at least one significant step towards that future appears imminent: Sign-in With Ethereum is coming.

It’s just what it sounds like: a standard way to use an Ethereum wallet that you own as an identifier across multiple services. If your first thought is, “my name isn’t even attached to my ETH wallet,” that’s exactly the point: Using a cryptographic marker as an identity means the user, not the identity provider, has total control over what information is associated with it. Eventually, you’ll be able to decide, for instance, whether a particular service needs your name, proof of your age, or a glimpse of your ETH balance. You won’t have to send all that information to every service you use.0 seconds of 6 minutes, 45 secondsVolume 40%

The standard is being developed by Spruce Systems, cofounded by former ConsenSys staffers, which won a recent development RFP from the Ethereum Foundation and Ethereum Name Service. The initial goals are modest (always a good sign, in my book).

“We’re starting with not as serious, not as strong identity,” says Spruce co-founder and CEO Wayne Chang. “Because we want to be battle tested. In the short to medium term it’s more like social media credentials that tie their Twitter handles to a blockchain … We don’t want to provide [know your customer] credentials for buying millions of dollars of financial securities right yet,” though that’s a possibility down the road.

Applications for this initial iteration, according to Spruce, are more likely to include lower-security uses like gating content for non-fungible token (NFT) holders. But, eventually, by integrating secure off-chain storage, Sign-in With Ethereum (let’s just call it SIWE) could also offer “strong” options such as government ID. Users will be able to control access to that data on a case-by-case basis and remove or disassociate it at will.

One significant hurdle for SIWE is the inherent risk of reusing any identifier, particularly an address that can likely be pretty easily linked to wallets used for financial activity. While the idea of using multiple or disposable wallets as a security measure is familiar to crypto users, it’s probably a bridge too far for normies, at least for now – one more reason SIWE is starting with baby steps.

Spruce regards its work as a community project, and it is holding weekly community calls as it develops the SIWE standard. Information about those calls and how to participate should be coming soon at Login.xyz.

Source: Don't Let Facebook Control Your Online Identity, 'Ethereum Sign-In' Is Coming – Fintechs.fi

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×