Author: Joao Joyce 2019-01-28 01:13:14
Published on: 2019-01-28T01:13:14+00:00
In a lightning-dev mailing list, Joao Joyce asked if it is possible to identify users across multiple LN requests or authenticate them in a single step using an LN wallet. He gave some use cases such as companies advertising pay-per-view events with LN QR codes, music-streaming services giving albums by scanning QR codes, and vending machines providing frequent-user discounts or reward points anonymously. ZmnSCPxj replied that currently, it is not possible, and questioned why someone would want to violate user privacy for a service. The current LN system uses zero-knowledge contingent payments where secrets are released in exchange for money and authorization of the service depends on whether someone can present proof that they know the secret. To this, Joao proposed the option of allowing users to keep and prove a single identity across multiple payments for the same store, which would enable a higher level of privacy and a smooth transition to better authentication practices. He suggested having a unique userID that is only valid for a particular store, which would eliminate the need for the user to create an account or log in to the service, and no private data would be kept by the store. Additionally, he believes that standardization of such a payment/auth flow could allow services to easily transition from email/password flows to a more anonymous and secure method of private and public keys.
Updated on: 2023-06-02T17:16:20.935311+00:00