Interoperability protocol Rarimo has partnered with Polygon ID, enabling the use of its verifiable credential infrastructure across multiple blockchains.
Rarimo, a tool that helps different blockchains talk to each other, has joined forces with Polygon ID, a system for checking identities, to make their identity-checking tools available across many different blockchains, turning Polygon ID into a multi-chain tool.
Polygon ID had previously allowed identity checks only on the blockchain where they were first set up. For example, if you made your ID on Polygon, you couldn’t use it on Ethereum (ETH), meaning users had to make a new ID for each blockchain. But now, with this partnership, IDs made on Polygon (MATIC) can be used on Ethereum. Other blockchains like BNB Chain (BNB) and Avalanche (AVAX) are also expected to join this list soon.
Polygon ID uses Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), which allows institutions like banks or governments to issue important documents like university degrees or driving licenses. Users can keep these documents in private digital wallets and choose when and where to show them. A method called zero-knowledge proof is used that allows users to prove they are who they say they are without revealing private information.
Polygon ID, first introduced in March 2022 and made freely available in March of the same year, is the first and only system to use these zero-knowledge proofs for off-chain documents. This allows users to submit their documents to smart contracts and engage with on-chain dapps, or decentralized applications. These zero-knowledge proofs not only confirm the document’s existence but also keep user information safe.
The partnership between Rarimo and Polygon ID shows a future where users can easily use documents from a range of sources, both on and off the blockchain, across many different systems and dapps. This also brings a concept of a future where users, not corporations like Meta and Google, are in control of their identities, making the process of checking identities safer and more private.