Metadium: A Next-Generation Identity Protocol Layer for the Internet Age
Metadium is a next-generation identity protocol layer built on the trustless nature of blockchain technology. It champions decentralized digital identities as the core of the Metadium ecosystem, offering a secure and advanced identity authentication system. This Meta ID empowers users with true ownership of their identities, giving rise to self-sovereign identity. The META token powers this ecosystem, which aims to create a robust and distributed identity infrastructure fully compatible with modern life. Primarily, the META token acts as a medium for identity exchange, enabling access to authentication services and rewarding users.
Project Features
1. Protocol Baseline: Trustlessness
Metadium utilizes the trustless nature of blockchain technology. As a decentralized ledger, blockchain operates independently of centralized authorities. Despite the rapid growth of the internet and online communities, online identity management remains relatively neglected. Our Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)-driven identity ecosystem challenges the current centralized state of identity information. Metadium fosters a healthy identity ecosystem with a protocol-based approach, offering trustworthy, distributed identities online, eliminating the need for centralized authorities.
2. Decentralized PKI
While Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) remains operational and is regarded as an advanced identity system, centralized Certificate Authority (CA) management often raises concerns about data ownership and trustworthiness. CAs are tasked with preventing data loss and leaks, leaving users with little choice but to trust them. Unfortunately, this data can be compromised, exposing companies and individuals to threats. These vulnerabilities result in significant economic and social losses for CAs, demanding time, effort, and resources to prevent breaches and manage subsequent scandals.
"Trustlessness" means managing identities without unnecessary expenses. Metadium's decentralized PKI (dPKI) allows individuals to confidently trust the integrity of their virtual identities. Through Metadium, companies and individuals maintain complete control over their personal data, dictating how, when, and with whom it is shared.
3. Data Ownership & Self-Sovereign Identity
Reclaiming identity sovereignty from centralized institutions enables transparent and secure distribution of private data, granting absolute control over the use and sharing of personal digital assets. This means individuals can choose when and how their private data is utilized, preventing unauthorized exploitation by service providers or third parties.
Metadium's self-sovereign identity ecosystem lets users retain pseudonymity while verifying ownership and rights. User identities and personal data remain undisclosed without their explicit consent. By realizing self-sovereign identity, individuals can maintain consistent preferences and connections across multiple digital identities.
4. Regulation
Blockchain's pseudonymity and trustlessness have raised concerns from regulatory bodies. In response, Metadium enables blockchain regulation without compromising these core principles.
In business, unregulated systems face resistance from major players. While blockchain boasts high trust and transparency, tracking malicious activity can be challenging. This resistance partly stems from a lack of understanding surrounding blockchain technology. Deeper comprehension can alleviate some concerns.
Developing Meta ID involves creating a more inclusive and efficient system. Integrating trustless blockchain technology into regulatory processes can reassure individuals and organizations, encouraging mass adoption. Metadium utilizes blockchain's benefits beyond solely transacting value, allowing users to choose between regulatory-compliant or self-sovereign identities for added value.
5. Identity of Things (IDoT)
Until recently, identity authentication infrastructure emphasized "qualification" and "purpose" over the intrinsic value of identity information or self-awareness. While some initiatives focus on enhancing and preserving identity, Intellectual Property (IP) rights often encompass aspects of IDoT. However, IP tends to prioritize protecting economic value or individual ownership.
With technological advancements, authenticating identities within IDoT devices, logistics, robotics, AI, and smart cities will increase the need for shared access to information, inherently requiring identification for devices and objects. This includes issuing passports on a large scale to meet growing transportation demands.
6. Authentication & Verification
Despite seeming similar, verification and attestation are distinct. While verification can be publicly accessible, attestation requires third-party notaries or recognized intermediaries. Verification adds value to pseudonymous, relational, or object identities. However, attestation becomes crucial when facing stringent information requirements or demonstrating identity rights and authenticity.
Various real-life authentication processes, such as fulfilling obligations or exercising rights, require attestation. Metadium supports both, creating holistic identities through Meta ID.
Project Architecture
1. Meta Governance
The META consensus algorithm leverages a modified RAFT consensus algorithm with Proof of Authority. Unlike conventional approaches, the Metadium blockchain, which underpins Meta ID and dApps, is upheld by two pillars:
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Community Pillar: Governed by community-elected representatives.
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Block Producer Pillar: Overseen by authorities, demonstrating legitimacy and tasked with network protection.
These pillars, along with Identity and dApps, maintain the architecture's upper echelon in two ways:
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META Token: This cryptocurrency catalyzes the network, fueling the protocol that powers the identity infrastructure. Users access the network and utilize identity-related functions, such as creating or updating their Meta ID, using the META token.
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Metadium Participants & Block Producers: Block producers (nodes) have limited permissions designated by Metadium. They receive incentives and rewards for block production and network security, ensuring it through a high-performance authorized Meta consensus algorithm – a modified RAFT algorithm.
Becoming a Pillar of the Metadium Community:
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Users: Users are the subjects of identity. Any entity possessing an identity can become a Meta ID user. Meta ID serves not only individuals but also devices, IDoT, content, and any entity requiring digital identity management within a fundamental identity infrastructure.
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Certification Authorities: These entities provide legitimacy within the trustless blockchain environment. Users can have their identities certified by these authorities, which may include notaries, financial institutions, and other qualified parties. Only eligible organizations can function as Certification Authorities on the Metadium blockchain.
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Service Providers: Comprising entities requiring user identities, service providers can utilize Meta ID smart contracts to offer services through dApps. This allows for user identification through their Meta ID.
2. META Economics
As an identity blockchain, Metadium allows for seamless integration into its ecosystem. The META token powers this ecosystem, aiming to establish a sophisticated distributed identity infrastructure compatible with modern life.
From a network perspective, the META token functions as a transaction fee. Each activity incurs a fee, preventing transaction overflow and DDoS attacks. These fees reward mining nodes for maintaining network security.
The META token primarily serves as a medium for identity exchange. Participants on the Metadium blockchain utilize META tokens to access authentication services. When individuals link or update their real-world identity data to their digital identity, they can utilize attestation services. Certification Authorities verify participant identities and receive META tokens for their trust-providing activities on the blockchain. Each attestation acts as a trusted bridge within this network.
Service providers requiring identity information reward users with META tokens for utilizing their identity data. The reward amount may vary depending on the type of data provided. Certification Authorities can utilize META tokens for partnerships or marketing purposes, while service providers can advertise specific attestation agents on their dApps.
3. Method Implementation
CRUD Operations, Revocation, and Recovery
Users can create Meta IDs anytime, anywhere, without borders. Requestors can only access user information with explicit consent, ensuring data privacy. They are granted limited access to specific data approved by the user. While Meta ID owners can update their identity status, new private data requiring attestation must be re-applied to the Meta ID.
The Metadium protocol supports Meta ID revocation and recovery to prevent breaches and unauthorized identity use. Users can also back up and recover their Meta IDs to prevent loss of control.
User-Friendly Human Identity Authentication
Despite efforts to protect users from fraud and hacking, browsers and online certificates cannot scrutinize every webpage, leaving vulnerabilities that undermine trust.
Meta ID offers a user-friendly verification interface through mobile applications and a reputation system. This minimizes human error and phishing attacks. The reputation system also safeguards legitimate websites from malicious attacks. Metadium's dPKI can be linked with smart devices, QR codes, and even FIDO data.
In early 2018, a phishing scam impersonated the renowned cryptocurrency exchange Binance, using URL visual deception to trick victims. While close inspection could have prevented this, the simple Unicode encoding trick deceived many. Metadium's reputation system and user-friendly approach can prevent such social and economic losses.
Identity for a Regulated Decentralization Movement
As a regulatory-compliant blockchain protocol, Metadium enables security tokens and decentralized exchanges to meet regulatory requirements through scalability. Projects offering security tokens can gain access to users identified through Meta ID, securely providing required qualifications and private data. Decentralized exchanges can also request minimal user information to ensure robust and legally compliant gateway encrypted exchanges.
Authority
Metadium's protocol is a highly scalable and sustainable blockchain. Meta Oracles enable communication between external blockchains and cross-chain interactions. Beyond real-world data, Metadium bridges the gap between blockchains through these oracles.
Tokenization of Identity
Users can tokenize their Meta IDs to prove ownership or decision-making rights. For example, if Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto were a group, each participant could hold a percentage of Satoshi's tokenized ID. Individuals can also share portions of their Meta IDs to represent relationships or social circles.
ID-Dedicated Blockchain
Metadium is an ID-dedicated blockchain. Users can access the application on their smart devices and utilize FIDO data for authentication, verification, and attestation. Meta ID safeguards against fingerprint identification without the owner's consent, preventing malicious identity attacks. Metadium's robust security and value-added identity system establish it as a cutting-edge identity protocol in the blockchain space.
Technical Execution and Intellectual Property
Metadium has partnered with Coinplug Inc., a leading holder of blockchain-related patents worldwide. Through this collaboration, Metadium is recognized as a key patent for Coinplug in verification and identity.
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