Ethereum Proof-of-Service: Constructing Digital Identities and Leaving On-Chain Records of Online Footprints.
#570
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The article discusses a new Web3 application called the Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS).
I had noticed this application a few months ago, but back then, the content on the EAS website was quite rudimentary, and after going through all the documentation, it still felt abstract. However, recently, while submitting my RetroPGF application, I found that the application system had integrated the EAS service to leave on-chain records for each application form. This gave me a sense of the utility of EAS.
I would describe EAS as a data on-chain service that does not rely on cryptocurrencies or NFTs. Apart from attesting documents on the blockchain, it also boldly challenges the current NFT-based digital identity infrastructure. EAS believes that a more versatile decentralized digital identity system can be built without relying on NFTs.
Application Form
Today, I have both good and bad news to share with everyone. The good news is that the number of participating projects in RetroPGF 3 has reached a staggering 577, almost three times the number from the previous round. This indicates that an increasing number of teams are beginning to consider the public funding mechanism as an essential source of funding, and each reader of Blocktrend is among the earliest participants in this field. However, the increase in the number of projects is also the bad news, as it means that Blocktrend will have to face even fiercer competition.
I am aware of the current application status because each RetroPGF application document is recorded on the Optimism chain through the EAS service, ensuring that any disputes can be avoided in the future. In other words, it is clear to see who submitted an application and when, all accessible on the internet. The image below shows the application record submitted by Blocktrend on October 9th. From the screenshot, it's evident that the target audience of the EAS service is not the general user but rather application developers. Developers need to integrate EAS into their systems for people to obtain on-chain attestations generated by EAS.
The UID at the top of the screen represents the serial number of each document, along with a timestamp and whether the document has expired or been revoked. The field schema below represents the document format, for instance, RetroPGF 3 is utilizing a format with the identifier 114. By searching for the identifier 114, individuals can locate all RetroPGF 3 application documents on the EAS system.
The data field records the project name, category code, and metadata, where the transaction ID starting with 0x is the on-chain record. The original data of the application form does not appear on the EAS system; it is represented by a string of hash values. Only the organizers of RetroPGF can access the complete content. This is one of the uses of EAS, recording application forms off-chain and preserving them on-chain.
In essence, EAS is a data on-chain service. Previously, many government agencies, educational institutions, and private enterprises have desired to record data on the blockchain, a topic Blocktrend has frequently discussed. However, during the implementation process, these institutions often encounter issues such as high transaction fees, blockchain not being suitable for storing data, and concerns regarding the privacy of sensitive information. They are compelled to seek alternative solutions, such as building consortium chains or attempting NFT issuance.
Each of these alternative solutions has its pros and cons. Although data on consortium chains can be shared among different enterprises or government institutions, it is ultimately not an open ecosystem. It remains challenging for different consortium chains to communicate with each other. The situation with NFTs is quite the opposite. Although everyone's NFTs are issued on a common ecosystem like Ethereum, each NFT is like a badge. In most cases, the data behind the badge is difficult to reassemble into more meaningful information.
Hence, we see products like Gitcoin Passport, where people need to collect more badges to prove their authenticity. However, the EAS development team believes that the best way to establish digital identities should not be through badge collection but by creating an attestation mechanism from scratch for Web3. Because every action in people's daily lives is the best form of identification.
Establishing Trust
Attestations may sound abstract, but they are commonplace in daily life. For example, when a baby is born, the hospital issues a birth certificate, and the parents go to the household registration office to register the baby and give them a name. In the past, these attestations existed in paper form, but in the digital world, attestations can be fragmented and reassembled in a digital way to create a completely new meaning. The EAS development team claims to be reconstructing the trust relationship in the digital world.
According to the description of EAS:
Imagine yourself in your familiar local market where you know some of the vendors and neighbors. There are numerous interactions between people, so you know who grows the best tomatoes and who bakes the best bread. All of this is based on experience, recommendations, and interpersonal relationships; this is trust in the physical world. However, in the digital world, there is also a vast global market where people's faces are hidden behind screens, making every interaction a risk.
Do you trust the reviews online? Is the seller offering counterfeit goods? These are the trust challenges we face in the digital world. Attestation is not just a digital signature; it is a tool for building trust. It is akin to believing in the bakery recommended by your neighbor. In the digital world, there is no universally reliable trust mechanism yet. This is where Ethereum and EAS can be of assistance.
When you open Google Maps and find a restaurant with a rating of 4.9 stars, yet all the reviews are empty without any photos, you might suspect that the restaurant is somehow manipulating its ratings. Trust issues in the digital world are indeed a concern for everyone.
From the description of EAS, its vision is actually similar to that of NFTs and Soulbound tokens. While the functions of EAS and NFTs do overlap, the EAS development team believes that NFTs are not suitable for all scenarios.
Most builders have witnessed the rise of NFTs and Soulbound tokens. Whether used for certificates of participation in communities or to demonstrate the acquisition of specific skills, these tokens have made a significant impact. However, when discussing a particular topic or individual, are NFTs and Soulbound tokens still the best tools? While NFTs have revolutionized digital assets, their lack of interoperability and transferability make them less suitable as credentials. Subsequently, Soulbound tokens were introduced, yet they lack a universal standard. Each Soulbound token represents a unique smart contract with no common data structure, making data integration a nightmare for developers.
The perspective of EAS is not without merit. NFTs serve as relatively cumbersome identity records, whereas EAS is comparatively lightweight. When I submitted my RetroPGF application form, the on-chain record represented an attestation of interaction. If I merely submitted the application form, it seems unnecessary to use an NFT as proof. However, without leaving any record of the activity on the chain, there would be no basis for establishing identity in the future.
EAS is a lighter option than NFTs. NFTs are suitable for commemorating events or adding a sense of ceremony, often with a specially designed appearance. On the other hand, EAS is suitable for mundane matters, much like a historical record in one's wallet. Only by having both mechanisms in place can we build a trust relationship in the digital world that closely resembles the physical world.
Interpersonal relationships in the digital world are related to network effects, and it is crucial who controls the platform and how the business model is chosen. Currently, the connections between people in the digital world are somewhat controlled by large corporations. However, conflicts of interest often arise between corporations and users, such as difficulty in reaching others without paying for advertising. EAS positions itself as a public good in the digital world, with its revenue relying entirely on public funding to sustain operations.
Business Model
I first became acquainted with EAS through its project listing in public funding because this is its sole business model. According to the description of EAS:
EAS ensures its neutrality through its open-source, permissionless, and tokenless nature. For infrastructures dedicated to solving digital trust, monetary incentives and centralized control can backfire. Although profit models perform well in niche markets, existing biases prevent them from serving as the foundation of the internet. Public goods emphasize value creation rather than value extraction. As a public good, EAS aims to provide a trusted and neutral foundation layer. Public goods place collective interests above individual interests, laying the groundwork for a more inclusive and equitable future.
EAS is like the digital world's plumbing and power grid. These infrastructures must be funded by the government to ensure that everyone has equal access regardless of identity or wealth disparities. The Web3 public funding mechanism also plays a role similar to that of the government in the digital world, determining which projects can receive how much funding.
During my research on the EAS service, my biggest internal question was how it took until 2023 for someone to finally come forward and establish such a fundamental on-chain system. Was there something I misunderstood? However, upon further reflection, for a service like EAS to emerge, not only do the transaction fees of the blockchain need to be low enough, but there also needs to be a business model that can support the operation of public goods. Otherwise, people might find on-chain data too expensive, and EAS might also have to focus on the issue of whether to issue tokens.
Even as a full-time blockchain researcher, I only began using the Ethereum Layer 2 network and benefiting from the public funding mechanism in 2023. In other words, it's not that EAS emerged too late, but rather that we all got involved too early.
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