Microsoft To Implement Blockchain-Based ID System

By Helen Partz

Microsoft revealed its plans to integrate Blockchain-based decentralized IDs (DIDs) into its Microsoft Authenticator app, the company announced in a blog post Monday, Feb. 12.

As reported in the post, Microsoft is looking to provide new a model of digital identity that would not be controlled by any centralized institution and would guarantee fully private data storage, enabling the individual to have full control of “all elements of [their] digital identity.”

After considering a number of standards for decentralized identity systems, Microsoft reports they decided that Blockchain technology and protocols were “well suited” for the task, stating:

“Some public blockchains (Bitcoin [BTC], Ethereum, Litecoin, to name a select few) provide a solid foundation for rooting DIDs, recording DPKI operations, and anchoring attestations.”

Moving forward, Microsoft plans to add DID support to its Microsoft Authenticator app to manage identity data and cryptographic keys. The app, which was launched in August 2016, is used by millions of people, according to the company.

In October, 2017, Cointelegraph reported that a number of governments globally are considering adopting Blockchain-based identity management systems to shift the control of data from the government or corporations to individual citizens.