How will Ethereum Proof of Authority (PoA) become a universal standard for certification?

What is Ethereum Attestation Service, EAS, and why is a blockchain-based attestation system needed? How does it achieve this? This article will start from the demand perspective and explain the importance of proof infrastructure for the development of Web3.

What Problems Does EAS Aim to Solve?

Web3 Lacks Authentication Mechanisms to Establish Trust

Let's start with a real-life example. When you go to a night market, what kind of vendor would you typically choose to transact with? Generally, it might be a store you frequently visit, a stall run by a familiar owner, a restaurant recommended by a colleague, or one with a long queue or featured in a TV interview.

If a booth has no customers, looks dirty, or if you've never been there before, the likelihood of an average person making a purchase is low.

Trust is undoubtedly fostered by individual internal connections such as personal experiences, recommendations from friends, or knowing the owner. However, in cases where there are no pre-existing connections, trust often relies on external proofs like the number of people in line or photos from a TV interview. In Web3, such proofs, known as Attestation, are relatively scarce due to the nature of Web3 products being online without the consumer protection laws or platform policies found in Web2. This scarcity makes it challenging for a diverse, long-tail commercial ecosystem to emerge, potentially leading to a scenario where larger entities continue to dominate, as seen with the Total Value Locked (TVL) of Lido or Aave being significantly higher than their competitors.

Web3's Existing Proof Mechanisms Are Imperfect

The industry's lack of trust stems from the absence of external proof mechanisms, which, more broadly, means that the infrastructure for personal verification is incomplete. It is difficult to trust strangers online because both parties lack a way to verify each other's identities.

Recommended Reading: Introduction to Proof of Personhood (PoP) | The challenges in developing digital identities
Reason for recommendation: This article clearly explains the purpose and significance of proof of personhood, aiding in understanding the importance of verification mechanisms for the development of the Web3 industry, complementing the content of this article.

Although many projects and technologies are already attempting to provide proof mechanisms in Web3, like Worldcoin using iris scans to bind addresses to biometric features or POAPs utilizing NFTs to prove event participation, these methods have their drawbacks. The former has high verification costs and is controversial, while the latter has low verification costs as the participants don't need to submit any data, making it less compelling evidence.

Introduction to EAS Product Design

To provide a wide-ranging proof mechanism for Web3, EAS implements two sets of contracts:

• Template Contract: Allows certifying entities to specify data review requirements.
• Proof Contract: Enables the submission of data required for certification.

EAS constructs a standardized method to simplify and streamline the proof process in the industry.

Proof Template: Providing Structure for Various Proofs

The EAS team believes that identity fundamentally stems from an individual's accumulation of experiences from the past to the future, rather than a one-time check. A doctor certifies your birthdate, the government certifies your passport, a teacher certifies your grades, a school certifies your degree, an employer certifies your employment history, and the list goes on. At every step in life, from birth to one's career, there are certifications. It is these small clues and proofs, woven together, that construct an individual's identity.

The team believes that a comprehensive proof mechanism should allow anything to be recorded, from every transaction or event participation to driving licenses and educational qualifications, using the same system. Therefore, EAS is designed as a universal proof system.

EAS provides certifiers (issuers of proof) and verifiers with a template schema to set the content related to the proof process, including UID, certifier information, and information required from the subject being certified.

Submitting Proof: Subject Providing Relevant Data

Once the structure of the proof process is established, the process of providing proof becomes straightforward. The subject being certified simply needs to fill in the data as per the format and sign with their wallet. They can also choose between on-chain or off-chain records based on requirements and importance, with the former being more rigorous and the latter being cost-effective.

Recommended Reading: What Is Attestation? Why Is It the Key Infrastructure for Real Use Cases in Web3?
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EAS Aims to Become a Standard

EAS is designed to be simple, including just a few lines of code behind the templates. The team aims for EAS to become the universal standard for certifications in future applications, serving as the certification standard for all application scenarios.

Once all certification formats are standardized, it can strengthen the composability advantages of Web3. For instance, in the future, if a concert wants to open a ticket lottery, it can incorporate certifications from different entities to ensure eligibility, such as driver's license verification, fan certification, or anti-fraud account certification. This will rely on the standardized foundation of certifications.

Challenges of EAS Lie in Broad Adoption

From the EAS design described above, it is evident that the most challenging aspect of becoming a standard is convincing the majority to adopt it, which requires a certain level of influence.

The EAS team members come from the Ethereum core developer community, so legitimacy is not an issue. However, the market's acceptance and widespread adoption remain unknown, making it a key consideration when evaluating decentralized identity (DID) projects in the future.