Microsoft Creates Open Source Identity Platform Integrating Bitcoin and Ethereum Blockchains

Microsoft, ConsenSys and Blockstack have developed an open source identity platform that aims to integrate with the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains.

An early version of the identity solution is expected to be available by the end of this summer.

Microsoft announced the announcement yesterday in a company blog post. Yorke Rhodes, Microsoft's global business strategist, wrote in a blog post that in the coming weeks, the company will release an open source framework through the Azure platform that developers can use to build their own identity applications.

Rhodes said this cross-blockchain applicability is particularly important for those involved in the project.

He said:

“The significance of this open source blockchain identity project is that it works across all blockchains, everywhere and over time. It empowers an initial solution and partners to prove that the project is cross-chain. We are very excited to see the results of our collaboration.”

Cross-blockchain platform

ConsenSys’ uPort solution will be used to enable connectivity with the Ethereum blockchain, while Blockstack’s OneName product will be used to integrate with the Bitcoin blockchain.

According to Microsoft, the early framework will be available on the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform, which has seen a number of blockchain integrations since it began offering services for blockchain technology last year.

ConsenSys Chief Strategy Officer Sam Cassatt emphasized the cross-blockchain nature of the project, believing that providing a reliable form of identity for developing countries would be more effective by working across multiple blockchains.

“We have strong blockchain technology from both companies, and we believe that autonomy and humanitarianism are very important to our projects, and we are collaborating in this way to serve as many people as possible.”

Focus on identity

The project comes amid a surge in interest among organizations around the world in using blockchain technology to solve long-standing identity issues in the developing world.

The World Bank believes that as many as 1.5 billion people worldwide lack 'legal identity', making it more difficult for them to get bank accounts and other services, including education and social welfare programs.

The collaboration was further cemented last week at the ID2020 Summit, held at the United Nations Building in New York, which aimed to highlight the issue of identity and the possible solutions that technology can provide.

Groups like the Commonwealth Secretariat are also looking at identity issues, particularly with regard to blockchain’s applicability. The Commonwealth is currently developing their own blockchain messaging service with identity protection.

Blockstack co-founder Muneeb Ali announced in a statement:

“Our collaboration with Microsoft and ConsenSys can bring about a global standard for blockchain identity, making creating new identities as easy as creating a new email address.”