Authentication has remained vastly unchanged on the surface. A user must enter a username or email address, then a password. The methods of transmitting and securing that data is non-constant. A game of chess is constantly occurring between the entities trying to secure the personal information you have divulged to them and those wishing to do harm.

End-users entrust service providers to protect the information entered into their systems. They expect due diligence: that the systems and processes put in place to protect them are working, and that they are periodically reviewed. Even with the best potential security processes put in place the game of chess continues. It is impractical as an end-user and consumer to lay the blame completely with providers.

We are humans who are predisposed to creating and repeating patterns. A username used in multiple, allowing actors to trace your activities. Passwords are widely simplified and/or repeated across numerous services, allowing for multiple-account compromises. It is imperative for users to be able to control their digital identities. This starts with a better means of authentication.

A Blockchain.info wallet displaying it’s current address.

To create a better authentication method a user needs to have a simple to understand, use, and implement method. A best-case scenario has a user managing a public and private key-pair to manage their authentication process. This requires some technical skills and is far from mainstream.

Bitcoin and it’s blockchain have been around since 2012, relaying and securing hundreds of thousands of transactions annually. A Bitcoin wallet is easy to use, widely available for many platforms, and makes use of public and private keys. To-date the network is mostly used for relaying Bitcoin itself, a store of perceived value, between users a.k.a users. What if we could tap the potential of Bitcoin wallets and the blockchain to power this authentication method?