The Web3 Foundation and the creators of the Talisman wallet have enabled the SIWS standard on Polkadot, making it easier for blockchain users to log into their favorite Web2 applications in a decentralized way.
Sign-in with Substrate (SIWS) is an authentication standard that allows users to log into traditional web applications using their blockchain identities. This standard offers a wide range of benefits for both users and developers of applications that build on Substrate, the Polkadot network framework.
The Web3 Foundation, which funds and oversees blockchain development, announced that the SIWS standard has now been enabled, allowing users to use their decentralized identities to access Web2-style applications. This eliminates the need for users to use centralized identity providers, increasing the security and protection of data and information on the web.
SIWS provides a self-custody identity for users
Through this standard, users of Substrate-based platforms can configure their decentralized identities to authenticate and authorize access to external resources and applications, outside the blockchain, using their private keys.
The developers of the Talisman Web3 wallet published an article on Medium highlighting that the launch of SIWS marks an important milestone for the Polkadot ecosystem and Substrate-based chains as it provides a standardized and secure way to authenticate users by signing messages.
With SIWS, users can control their own data and share it with Web2 applications securely and transparently, without having to rely on a centralized identity provider like those traditionally used.
In addition to this, according to the developers of the Web3 wallet, users will also be able to make the most of their Substrate keys, to access different services and platforms in a simple, secure and private way.
“End users will have more control over their identity and have greater privacy when using SIWS, compared to Web2”, wrote the Talisman developers.
A catalyst for Polkadot development
SIWS will become a catalyst for the activity and development of the Polkadot blockchain ecosystem. This is what the Web3 Foundation and the developers of Talisman envision, who created the standard with the aim of providing a secure authentication service to blockchain users, giving them access to information stored outside the network.
The new SIWS identity standard is very similar to the existing one on the Ethereum network, Sign-in with Ethereum (SIWE). In fact, the developers claim that SIWE was the inspiration for building SIWS and providing users of Polkadot and Substrate networks with a similar decentralized authentication experience.
Self-custodial identity is one of the key applications of the blockchain and Web3 ecosystem, so Polkadot wants to bring this innovation to the Web2 world, but without the complexities that come with using crypto and blockchain. The developers explain that through SIWS, it is possible to provide users with a Web3 component, associated with Web2, to bridge the existing gap and provide new access routes to the decentralized ecosystem.
With this standard, Web2 developers and users will be able to experience the benefits of self-custodial identity, they assured the developers.
