you can lose half of your logins (oauth) if faang's algorithm don't like you. decentralized identities fix this for free (no-onchain transactions required)
Indeed, but I do wonder whether most users need a single global identity anyway. FIDO keys or—gasp—passwords-per-site seem to solve the real problem most users have (which is, you know, maintaining logins).
I do think if there were strong user demand for a unified web identity (beyond email identifiers, which aren’t obviously improved by blockchain), we’d see more adoption of OIDC, including offered by IdPs who only provide that service.
Instead, the common providers are providing federated identity as a sideline—you don’t create an Apple or Facebook account because you want to be able to sign in with Facebook elsewhere on the web; you create it ‘cause you want to use Facebook’s app.
Users don’t care—or don’t understand—federated identity, so they sure as hell aren’t going to be interested in blockchain-decentralised versions.
I’ve shown rainbow to a few of my friends. Shown them how to log into a site by scanning the wallet connect code and all their data moves with them and their wallet.
From my experience they all really like it and prefer it to passwords and password managers. Add to this everyone getting used to scanning QR codes during COVID and suddenly what was seen as a big point of friction in ux isn’t such a big deal anymore. Give it a couple years for more social-recovery wallets to be developed and we’re good.
I’m really happy that alternatives to passwords/login with facebook/emails are taking off. Good to have options. There was a while there where sites only had a google log in and it was painful.
I do think if there were strong user demand for a unified web identity (beyond email identifiers, which aren’t obviously improved by blockchain), we’d see more adoption of OIDC, including offered by IdPs who only provide that service.
Instead, the common providers are providing federated identity as a sideline—you don’t create an Apple or Facebook account because you want to be able to sign in with Facebook elsewhere on the web; you create it ‘cause you want to use Facebook’s app.
Users don’t care—or don’t understand—federated identity, so they sure as hell aren’t going to be interested in blockchain-decentralised versions.