In a revolutionary step forward for on-chain identities, Rarimo has collaborated with Polygon ID, a Privacy Preserving ID infrastructure, to make their credentials multi-chain. At a single swoop, each and every identity provider using Polygon ID has become instantly cross-chain.
Not only is this the first time ever that Polygon ID has become multi-chain but as PolygonID is the first and only solution that allows users to represent off-chain credentials as Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs), the collaboration marks a world first for the digital identity space.
Before its collaboration with Rarimo, Polygon ID’s credentials could only be used on the chain where they were originally issued. This meant that if you issued your credential on Polygon, you would not be able to use it on Ethereum. Instead, you would have to issue a new, Ethereum-native credential. Now, however, following the Rarimo collaboration, credentials issued on Polygon can be used seamlessly on Ethereum. In the coming weeks, they will also become available on BNB Chain and Avalanche, and as the number of networks that Rarimo can scale to is limitless, a range of additional chains will be added with time.
What is Polygon ID’s Privacy Preserving Infrastructure?
Polygon ID infrastructure makes use of an off-chain decentralized identity model called Self Sovereign Identity (SSI) that enables identity providers like banks or governments to issue credentials such as university degrees or driving licenses. Users store these credentials in privately-held wallets and maintain control over them, opting to submit them to apps and services.
With Polygon ID, users can opt to submit these credentials to smart contracts and interact with on-chain dApps. Polygon has made this transition from off to on-chain possible through the magic of zero-knowledge proofs which not only attest to the existence of the credential, but do so in a way that keeps user privacy at its zenith. ZKPs do not reveal specific details about users, they only confirm, or ‘prove’ that a statement about a user is true. For instance, they could confirm that a user is over eighteen without stating their exact age.
The Future of Web3 and the Role of Digital Identities
Rarimo is particularly excited about the collaboration because it provides an early glimpse into the future of web3. Rarimo was born of the recognition that, firstly, robust on-chain identities are essential to the flourishing of web3, and secondly that on-chain identities can only be robust if they are multi-chain. Without the freedom to move their identities across dApps and ecosystems, web3 users cannot truly be said to own their digital identities and are instead forced to contend with the same threat of walled gardens that plagued web2.
With demand for robust on-chain identities mounting from both within the web3 space and outside of it, a tidal wave of breakthroughs is on the horizon. Inside web3, many of the space’s most exciting emerging innovations such as on-chain games and decentralized social media require some form of on-chain identity. Outside, the need for more robust online credentials has grown urgent in the face of AI. You can read more about this threat from AI and Rarimo’s view on it here, in this recent The Block article.
Rarimo envisions a future where users can leverage credentials from a range of off and on-chain sources, using them seamlessly across ecosystems and dApps.
Rarimo x Polygon ID SBTs
The multi-chain identity credentials that Polygon ID and Rarimo have enabled mark an inception moment for the space. Rarimo celebrated the occasion by demoing at PolygonID’s DevX event at this year’s Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) in Paris.
Press Coverage
Blockworks: Polygon ID comes to Ethereum thanks to Rarimo integration, more chains to come
Cryptonews: Polygon ID becomes available on Ethereum after partnership with Rarimo