Blockchain Reshaping Trust: Exploring the On-Chain Verification Revolution of Sign

In the wave of decentralization, trust remains the key link between the real world and Blockchain integration. Sign, as a leading on-chain verification system, centers around the Sign Protocol, enabling identity, protocol, credit, and other information to be verified globally, just like Blockchain transactions. This article delves into Sign's vision, technological breakthroughs, and future plans, exploring how Blockchain is reshaping trust mechanisms and promoting the on-chain of public services.

Yuan Xin, the co-founder of Sign, introduced their team and project. Sign was established in 2021 and developed the global verification system Sign Protocol, which allows information such as identity, protocols, and credit to be verified on a global scale. In 2024, Sign's revenue reached 15 million USD. The project has received support from several well-known investment institutions.

The goal of Sign is to move the most important scenarios and public services in the world on-chain. They believe that blockchain is the most powerful global ledger, with real-time, accurate, and auditable characteristics. Sign is dedicated to enabling more information, qualifications, and identity data to be verified directly on-chain, and to complete verification efficiently and simply on a global scale.

Yan Xin explained how Sign redefines trust in a "trustless network." Although the Blockchain itself is a trust-free network, decisions in the real world are still based on trust. Sign deploys smart contracts on multiple blockchains and designs a unified format for these contracts, allowing various organizations to verify through on-chain systems, thus bringing real-world trust mechanisms on-chain.

Sign Protocol is described as an "on-chain notary." It ensures that every piece of on-chain information and every transaction is endorsed by a certified identity, guaranteeing its authenticity and validity through a proof mechanism across the entire chain. For ordinary users, the value of Sign Protocol lies in enabling transparent and secure verification of users' identities and information through blockchain technology.

Yan Xin believes that verification will become a necessity in the future digital society. The Sign Protocol aims to improve the efficiency of existing verification processes, such as simplifying international visa applications or the KYC process for trading platforms. He emphasizes that Blockchain technology needs to cooperate and be compatible with existing systems to achieve broader applications.

On a technical level, Sign makes extensive use of zero-knowledge proof (zk) technology, but has not yet begun to use fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). Their system design focuses on verification rather than comparison, avoiding putting sensitive information on-chain to comply with data protection regulations such as GDPR.

EthSign is the application of the Sign Protocol in the field of electronic agreements. Compared to traditional electronic signature platforms, EthSign's advantages include free verification globally, no subscriptions, no spam, and permanent encryption and storage of documents. EthSign is based on the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act and is recognized by most international standards.

SignPass is a new authentication system developed by Sign, which has begun to be applied in certain countries and regions. In the face of different identity management regulatory requirements around the world, SignPass adopts a dual-track strategy of technical compliance and policy compliance. It uses privacy-enhancing technologies while providing modular configurations to adapt to the regulatory frameworks of different countries. The goal of SignPass is to become a "trust bridge" between governments and the Web3 world.

Looking to the future, Sign plans to explore "on-chain government efficiency" and promote the migration of public services to the Blockchain as a public infrastructure. They also plan to launch a Sign App similar to Alipay, integrating various functions such as identity verification and wallet management.

Through the innovation of Sign, we have seen how blockchain technology reshapes the global trust mechanism, paving the way for a more efficient and transparent digital society.