Distributed Identity Authentication: Ant Group’s Blockchain‑Based Approach and Ecosystem

With the rapid growth of the digital economy, platforms play crucial roles in resource optimization and user rights protection, yet data silos hinder cross‑platform experiences; the OIDAA Alliance, led by the Ministry of Public Security’s First Research Institute, held its annual meeting in Xiamen where Ant Group, as a vice‑chair unit, presented its blockchain‑based distributed identity authentication system to enable interoperable digital identities and credentials.

The distributed identity system, built on blockchain technology, offers trustworthy user data and privacy security; its core innovations combine native DID technology with a DPKI framework, biometric template mapping, and zero‑knowledge proof to securely link users to DIDs.

Creating and using digital identities involves three roles: the Issuer, which issues identity assets; the Identity Provider (IDP), which manages these assets (storage, authorization, deletion); and the Service Provider (SP), which implements specific application scenarios.

The evolution of digital identity has moved from centralized to federated and now to distributed models; unlike traditional password‑based systems, distributed identity provides high security, privacy, selective disclosure, and secure sharing, allowing seamless cross‑platform authentication.

Key advantages of distributed identity authentication include: (1) protecting user privacy through selective authorization, zero‑knowledge disclosure, and cryptography; (2) reducing institutional costs via unified data flow and reverse authentication; (3) ensuring data authenticity with DPKI and traceability; and (4) enhancing user experience by enabling single‑sign‑on across multiple applications.

Ant Group’s exploration focuses on five technologies: hierarchical credential technology using Verifiable Credentials; biometric template mapping that converts biometric features into irreversible strings; terminal computing contracts that securely process multiple VCs on devices; key asset protection leveraging secure enclaves for storing keys, models, and features; and identity zero‑knowledge disclosure allowing proof of identity without revealing additional personal information.

The ecosystem co‑construction requires multiple stakeholders; Ant Group, together with China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, Huawei, ZTE, Samsung, and others, founded the IIFAA Trusted Ecosystem Alliance in 2015, establishing a distributed authentication working group that drives standards, innovations, and user‑centric secure authentication across the digital identity industry.