Microsoft Identity Overlay Network (ION)

2020: Commercial start

On June 10, 2020 commercial start of the Microsoft ION system providing the decentralized identification of the personality took place.

ION is one of fundamental components of the next generation of online trust. By means of the cornerstone bitcoin of a blockchain of ION decentralizes the cryptography technique and message exchange and data of applications, says the company.

Access to integration of ION to networks of projects for target use of development – identification of users is opened for developers. 

ION processes the decentralized identifiers (DID) and allows to prove a right of possession keys. A system was created together with consortium Decentralized Identity Foundation which develops standards for hostless systems of identification of users.

The producer of hardware notes Casa, processing service BitPay, the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, the developer of the payment solution Fold and several other companies also take part in development of the project.

According to developers, ION provides to the companies and users full control over their identification data. In practice it means that accounting information will be stored in the decentralized database, but not on servers of the companies as it occurred earlier, explain in Microsoft.

From the point of view of users, such approach can be much safer and more convenient, contents a blockchain register cannot be changed or stolen. As the managed ION identifiers are decentralized, in case of removal of the user account access to the services tied to the account, for example, in social networks, will remain. All photos published in a profile will belong to the user, but not social network. For the Internet market the solution of Microsoft will be really revolutionary — the companies will be able to work with the uniform digital identity of the person who will close on herself all used commercial and state services.^[1]

2019: Announcement

In the middle of May, 2019 Microsoft provided the system of authorization on a basis blockchain- platforms as at cryptocurrencies bitcoin. Open source solution received the name ION (Identity Overlay Network).

The system of the decentralized identification will allow users to provide secure access to data without passwords. The company will be able to check data on the new employee and to connect him to the general system a one click of the virtual button – in the same way as the client of bank can confirm the personality for receiving the credit, without disclosing information allowing to identify the personality.

Architecture of Identity Overlay Network

The command more than a year worked on software for electronic identification and check of keys in public networks, such as bitcoin and "air". According to the company, new approach will allow to increase considerably capacity of a system of identification to reach speed in tens of thousands of operations per second. Unlike monetary units the decentralized identifiers are not intended for exchange and sale that allows ION to work in much bigger scales, without relying on the additional approved schemes and protocols.

The tool allows different portals and networks to communicate with each other. On the Microsoft platform there is only a hashed user ID while the actual identification data are ciphered and stored in an autonomous node of identifiers which is not available to Microsoft. Thus, ION processes the decentralized identifiers of the personality which allow to prove that the user owns keys to these data, but does not get access to data.

Several suppliers a blockchain identification by May, 2019 are in area or at an early stage of research and development, or test the products in pilot projects. Microsoft is the largest of such companies, notes the ComputerWorld edition.^[2]

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