What are Human Keys?
Human Keys enable users to access their digital assets and identities using inherent traits, eliminating the need for complex key management or seed phrases.
Simple: human-friendly security 😏 ...
Human Keys /ˈhjuː.mən kiːz/ noun
1. A next-generation cryptographic system that derives secure, high-entropy keys from private human data, such as passwords, security questions, logins, or uniquely identifying characteristics.
"Human Keys enable users to access their digital assets and identities using inherent traits, eliminating the need for complex key management or seed phrases."
2. A human-centric public key infrastructure designed to power decentralized, privacy-preserving applications and services.
By leveraging Human Keys, developers can build a wide range of secure, user-friendly solutions that empower people with autonomy and natural digital rights when using technology.
3. A paradigm shift in digital security that uses unique human attributes as the ultimate authentication mechanism across decentralized networks.
Human Keys represent a leap in web3 key security, making it possible for anyone to securely manage their digital assets and interactions using inherent human characteristics.
Introduction
Private Keys Run the Web
Cryptographic keys provide a behind-the-scenes interface for people to authenticate with and use technology – from email, file transfers, banking accounts, to essentially every digital interaction on the internet. Private keys run the web, and on blockchains they secure trillions of dollars of assets. All private keys are as secure as they are both random and guarded from someone else replicating them or using them on your behalf.
Innovating on Private Keys
Traditional private keys rely on random phrases, making them difficult for users to manage and prone to loss or theft. But what if private keys could be built differently?
Human Keys completely change how private keys are derived. Instead of creating private keys from random phrases, Human Keys make humans into keys. This new framing shifts ownership of digital assets from the holder of a random seed, to the human that can uniquely prove their biometrics, knowledge, or other secret.
Human Keys make the ownership layers of the internet built on top more consumer-friendly, decentralized, and secure.
Keys from Digital IDs
Who Controls the Keys, Controls the Identity
Digital identity is essential for accessing services, interacting online, and proving who we are. Today, most digital identities are controlled by centralized entities like Apple, Google, and social media platforms. These corporations store and manage the cryptographic keys that authenticate our identities. While this makes login and verification seamless (like passkeys for example), it also raises concerns: Who ultimately controls these keys? In many cases, it’s not the individual, but the corporation, which can revoke access, monitor interactions, or even lose control of the keys in a breach.
Digital Identity is High Stakes
When centralized companies control your identity, they also control the data associated with it. This centralization presents significant privacy concerns. Personal information tied to your identity—such as transaction history, location, or even biometric data—is stored on their servers. These servers can be accessed by the company, sold to third parties, or targeted by hackers.
Jon Healey
Digital identities stored in centralized databases are prone to theft and impersonation. If a company’s systems are breached, attackers can steal personal data and impersonate users, leading to identity theft, financial fraud, and loss of access to services. Even advanced methods like biometrics are not immune to such risks if controlled by centralized authorities.
Security from Intrinsic Humanity
Human Keys flip the script by placing control back in the hands of individuals. Instead of relying on a company to manage your identity keys, Human Keys allow you to hold and control your own keys securely. This means that only you decide who can access your identity information, and no corporation can revoke or alter your access.
By decentralizing identity management through cryptography, Human Keys protect against theft and impersonation. Your identity is tied to your unique human attributes without needing to reveal sensitive personal data. This prevents unauthorized access while maintaining your privacy. Additionally, with zero-knowledge proofs, you can prove attributes about yourself (e.g., that you are a unique human or of legal age) without exposing the underlying data.
In the Human Key model, your identity is more private, more secure, and fully within your control.
Identities will become Nyms
As Human Keys become adopted, all identities will transform into nyms—pseudonymous digital identities that are under the sole control of the individual. This allows users to prove their personhood and other attributes without revealing personal details, preventing centralized overreach and ensuring greater privacy, security, and control over digital lives.
About Silk
Silk is the Human Friendly wallet with Instant onboarding. A protocol created by Holonym Foundation. Silk wallets are secured with Zero Trust and ZK Protocols. With Silk you create Human Keys to secure your digital assets, send payments, access global internet finance protocols, and manage your private data.