DFINITY working on passwordless authentication alternative for decentralized internet

Developers are working on a way for people to access online accounts and applications that they say could have a major impact on internet security. Internet Identity (IID) is proposed as an important aspect for online authentication with the emerging concept of Web3.

Internet Identity is a decentralized blockchain-based form of online identity which proponents say makes it possible for users of Web3 services and decentralized applications to enjoy ample security and convenience while carrying out authentication on the internet computer.

According to an explainer by Android Police, work is ongoing by developers at DFINITY Foundation, a public blockchain technology outfit, to make Internet Identity a secure alternative for passwordless authentication on Web3.

IID, the explainer notes, is a way through which users can securely sign into their devices, not with passwords but rather with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip found on most new mobile devices and computers, which create automatic and hidden one-use TPM passkeys enabled via biometric authentication. Authentication can be carried out with native device biometrics, or other authenticators that work with passkeys, like Yubikeys.

Internet Identity is said to have many benefits including protection to users from identity theft, online profiling by big tech companies such as Google as well as its ability to keep users anonymous by preventing their online activities from being trailed. It is an open-source software which comes at no cost and which requires a new login for each online session.

On how IID works, Android Police explains that the sign-in system is similar to that of other passkey technologies and that with it, users can sign into compatible devices automatically thanks to a public key cryptography protocol.

Data security and privacy has been underlined as one of the key advantages of Internet Identity as there is no room for password hacking or access to the disposable passkeys, which are visible to no one else other than the user.

Although Internet Identity is believed to have great potential for enhancing online data security and privacy, it also has its downside, writes Android police. The first one is that it only works with supported services like decentralized applications compatible with Web3, such as OpenChat, a messaging app.

The explainer says just like Web3, there is no certainty yet about the future of Internet Identity.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  blockchain  |  DFINITY Foundation  |  Internet Identity  |  passkeys  |  passwordless authentication  |  web3