Identity Building Tools Every Web3 Developer Should Use

Large digital businesses have massively exploited and taken users’ privacy and identity protection for granted, despite the fact that they are two of the most important principles in our modern society. There is a lengthy history of user privacy and identity being invaded by corporations such as Facebook, which is now known as Meta. Other businesses have been accused of providing user information to huge research companies without first obtaining the users’ permission to do so. As evidence of this, Facebook was fined a total of five billion dollars in 2019 for severe violations of customer data and privacy.

It is well knowledge that centralization is linked to problems of user privacy and a lack of identity protection. The idea of decentralisation has been around for more than a decade, but the publication of the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2009 sparked a turning point in the world that the vast majority of people were unaware of at the time. Despite the fact that some of us are familiar with the idea, decentralisation has been around for longer than that. Since that time, the blockchain technology has been put to a number of different uses. We are in the process of shifting gradually from web2 to web3, and new firms are leveraging blockchain technology further in order to increase the protection of user data and identity through decentralisation. In this post, we will examine identity-building technologies that web3 developers can utilise to construct decentralised identities while maintaining user privacy.

Verida

Verida is an ongoing research project that kicked off in 2018 with the goals of decentralising user privacy control and producing decentralised identities. On the verida network, users have the ability to generate new decentralised identities, manage private keys, build blockchain wallets, and enable single sign-on across an ecosystem of decentralised applications. Verida was developed as a solution to the problems that are linked with Web 2 platforms in terms of the protection of users’ identities and their privacy. In addition, the infrastructure that Verida provides makes it possible for centralised as well as decentralised applications to connect their user data to the blockchain. Users have full control over the ways in which their data is used and shared as a direct consequence of this. Verida is an initiative for the development of self-governing technological solutions, and its creators are Chris Were and Ryan Kris. Verida’s mission is to hasten the widespread adoption of web3 by working on the creation of a builder’s toolkit that will enable web3 developers to quickly establish decentralised data and privacy initiatives.

Blockstack

Blockstack is an open-source network of decentralised applications and smart contracts that is powered by Bitcoin and also goes by the name stacks. Bitcoin is utilised by Blockstacks since it is necessary for the operation of internet infrastructure. On the Bitcoin network, developers can employ blockstacks to design and leverage open source protocols in order to create completely decentralised applications that have decentralised user data and identities. In addition, developers working on blockstacks reap the benefits of the speed and flexibility of stacks, as well as the inherent security of bitcoin transactions.

Filecoin

Filecoin is a blockchain-based decentralised cloud storage and data retrieval network that was developed to stimulate the use of decentralised cloud storage. Filecoin was developed to assist developers in the process of creating web3 applications that are both safe and easy to use. The data storage sector is now characterised by a high degree of centralization, which Filecoin intends to eradicate while both controlling data and maintaining its integrity. Filecoin is a cryptocurrency that was developed by Protocol labs and is based on the interplanetary file system. As a result of the decentralised storage mechanism, users on the filecoin network are responsible for the safety of their own files.

Sovrin

Another protocol that is leading the charge for decentralised initiatives that are intended to safeguard user data and identity is called Sovrin. A public network chain that was developed with self-sovereign identity in mind is known as the Sovrin network. The “Hyperledger Indy” serves as the foundation for all three of Sovrin’s networks, which the company primarily operates. On Sovrin’s networks, which include BuilderNet, StagingNet, and MainNet, decentralised apps may be constructed. It does not cost anything for web3 developers to use Sovrin’s BuilderNet, but the StagingNet and MainNet do cost money. Sovrin is a codebase that is aimed at enhancing the identity protection provided by Web3, and it is regulated by the Sovrin Governance Framework.

Conclusion

The security of one’s data and one’s identity are two essential ideas that are in need of development in the modern society. With the advent of web3 and blockchain technology serving as the foundation, startups like Verida and Filecoin have set out to make developer onboarding to web3 as painless and streamlined as possible. Their goal is to provide developers with all of the tools and resources necessary to build self-sovereign decentralised applications that safeguard user data and privacy.