BrightID: decentralized uniqueness protocol

Public Good Projects Discussion
4
  • Total Funds Received from Octant so far: 6.5 / ETH
  • Funds Spent: 0 / ETH (see below)
  • Detailed Utilization: We saved the ETH, but spent an equal value in stable coins from our treasury, so we count the grant as being fully spent. All the value was spent on our dev team which helped us achieve the milestones you see below.

Milestones and Deliverables

  • Aura Beta Launch:
    • Description: Our most meaningful achievement for BrightID in 2024 was launching the long-awaited beta refresh of the Aura frontend and the first nodes running the Aura version of BrightID. You can read more about Aura in our guide.
    • Immediate Outcome: With our incremental roll-out of Aura, BrightID Stars (meeting helpers) got to use the new version, give us valuable feedback, and prepare to evolve their verification methods to fit this improved method for BrightID.
    • Future Implication: Read our “Plans” section below to learn why BrightID Star hosted “meets” are deprecated and how the new system of “Aura Players” aligns more closely with the long-term vision of BrightID of proving uniqueness through people who already know you.
    • Funding Used: $10,000 (plus other funding sources)
  • Improved Sponsoring Flow:
    • Description: This major improvement to BrightID core was planned for two years. The most difficult integration point for apps used to be authorizing user “sponsorships”. Previously, apps had to make an API call to a BrightID node for each authorized user. The new flow moved everything to the user’s client (BrightID mobile app) except buying and assigning SP (sponsorship tokens). This means integration can be done codelessly and just requires generating a URL or QR code, which the BrightID SDK can do. The user flow was also reduced by one step since users no longer have to wait for authorization from the app. This also reduced the chance of network errors.
    • Immediate Outcome: Unitap and Orange Protocol switched to the new sponsorship flow. New apps were able to evaluate BrightID more easily. All users now have an easier experience linking apps with fewer steps and less chance of error.
    • Funding Used: $3000
  • Karma GAP: BrightID on KarmaGAP

Outcomes

2024

  • BrightID growth: The number of verified BrightID users grew from 72,000 to 80,000.
  • Aura User Interviews: In November and the first week of December, we conducted 15 interviews with BrightID power users on the new Aura verification platform resulting in 10 issues created in our Linear issue tracking system, 4 of which have already been resolved and deployed.

Plans for Potential Funds Raised in the Next Octant Allocation Window

The first three goals are carrying over, and the last three are new.

  • Ethereum Attestations:

    • Description: Support DIDs and Ethereum Attestations as a verification format from BrightID nodes.
    • Expected Outcome: BrightID verifications will be more portable, attracting more adoption from apps. Of the next 10 apps integrating with BrightID in the first half of 2025, two will use Ethereum Attestations.
    • Funding Needed: $ 10,000

  • Find an Aura player feature:

    • Description: The steps needed to become BrightID verified are changing. The most important step will now be to locate Aura players that you already know so they can complete the verification process on your behalf. This is in contrast to the current system of zoom meetings with hosts that don’t already know participants. The new system using Aura is more in line with BrightID’s original vision of being verified by people that already know you.
      The best way to find an Aura player will often be by searching through your friends lists (phone, apps, social). Aura players can label themselves as such to allow such searches without revealing any identifiers to anyone that doesn’t already know them. We already have a “find friends” feature, but it has usability issues and needs an overhaul to support finding Aura players.
    • Expected Outcome: When combined with “Known Identifiers,” increase the number of Aura-verified individuals from 1,000 to 1,000,000.
    • Funding Needed: $ 10,000

  • Known Identifiers Tool for Aura:

    • Description: This uses existing private knowledge of social accounts to greatly reduce the workload of Aura players and provide more accurate results. We have wanted to build this since 2022, but have lacked the funding to accomplish it. Here’s the original blog post that outlines how it will work.
    • Expected Outcome: When combined with the “Find an Aura player feature,” increase the number of Aura-verified individuals from 1,000 to 1,000,000.
    • Funding Needed: $ 50,000

  • Updated Aura Achievements

    • Description: BrightID users need to see and understand their Aura verification level and which apps they qualify for.
    • Expected Outcome: Double the number of users linking to apps needing Aura verification.
    • Funding Needed: $ 10,000

  • Aura Graph Explorer

  • Improve Aura based on feedback

    • Description: After opening Aura to beta testers, we’re finding bugs to squash and opportunities to make the interface better. We need funding to continue to improve Aura based on user feedback.
    • Expected Outcome: Happier Aura players = greater retention
    • Funding Needed: $ 20,000

Other Funding

  • Grant Funding Received in 2024:
    • Optimism retro PGF: $200,000
    • Gitcoin grants (3 rounds): $50,000
  • Other Non-Grant Funding Sources: Gitcoin bought $3000 in BrightID sponsorships this year, paid in GTC, which is enough to sponsor 75,000 new users at the current price.

Future Plans for Financial Sustainability

Any project that creates revenue and buys Sponsorship tokens helps the long-term sustainability of BrightID. We just need one project to reach escape velocity and bring BrightID along with it. Aura can be a paid service; if it can produce a set of verifications that apps find useful, it can charge for that service and pass along funds to BrightID by purchasing the corresponding Sponsorships.