Launched SMS-OTP for DID, a distributed ID issuance service with Accrete
Digital Platformer, Inc. and Acreate Corporation have jointly developed and launched “SMS-OTP for DID,” an API linking our distributed identification (DID) infrastructure (service name “SHIKI”) with Acreate’s “SMS Connect” to authenticate cell phone number ownership using SMS-OTP (one-time password). The two companies will jointly develop and launch “SMS-OTP for DID,” which uses the results of the “One Time Password (OTP)” authentication of mobile phone numbers as digital certificates.
For more information, please see the press release.
Digital Platformer launches SMS-OTP for DID, a distributed ID issuance service with Accrete
One-time password authentication makes the use of distributed IDs even more accessible.
Figure 1 Digital Platformer launches SMS-OTP for DID, a distributed ID issuance service with Accrete
(headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Kazutaka Matsuda, CEO; hereinafter “the Company”) and ACRETE Corporation (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Masanari Tanaka, President; hereinafter “ACRETE”) are pleased to announce that the Company’s distributed identification (DID) platform (service name: ” (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Yusei Tanaka; hereinafter “Acrito”) have jointly developed and launched “SMS-OTP for DID,” which uses the results of possession authentication of cell phone numbers via SMS-OTP (one-time password) as digital certificates, by linking Acrito’s “SMS Connect” API with the Company’s distributed ID (DID) infrastructure (service name: “SHIKI”).
About “SMS-OTP for DID
SMS-OTP for DID” is a distributed ID (hereinafter referred to as “DID”) issuance and management platform service that incorporates the results of possession authentication (SMS authentication) of cell phone numbers, which is personal attribute information, as a digital certificate (Verified Credential (hereinafter referred to as “VC”)). This is a platform service.
This new service will be provided by linking our DID issuance and management platform service with the “SMS-OTP* authentication” (Note 1), a one-time password service provided by Acrete’s SMS sending service “SMS Connect”.
Unlike conventional centralized IDs (Note 2) provided by Google, Facebook, and others, DIDs are IDs that can be managed and owned by individuals using blockchain and other technologies that distribute and manage data across computers and servers worldwide. In addition to treating the results of identity verification using a My Number Card, which is already provided as a digital certificate, our DID infrastructure to be offered this time will issue an identity-confirmed VC that converts the results of cell phone number possession verification using SMS delivery and one-time passwords into a digital certificate, and incorporate it into the DID, thereby enabling the creation of a unique identity-confirmed ID. Creating a unique identity verified ID. Thus, by combining identity verification with my number and cell phone number property authentication, users can store and manage all related contents in their smartphones, which is a feature of this service.
Note 1 “OTP”: One-time Password Authentication Authentication using a password that can be used only once or for a short time.
Note 2 “Centralized ID”: A system in which a specific organization or service provider issues user IDs and has the authority to manage them. User ID information is centrally managed in a central server or database, and ID issuance and authentication are controlled by that administrator.
Adopted for “TicketMe” as a first step
a company that provides a platform for trading theater and other tickets using non-functional tokens (NFT), has adopted a simplified implementation of “SMS-OTP for DID” provided by Acryte and us. The platform is a simple implementation of the “SMS-OTP for DID” provided by the Company and Acryte.
TicketMe” is Japan’s first NFT ticket issuing platform that allows users to freely buy and sell tickets to live music concerts, plays, sports games, etc.
Since the service was launched in June 2011, it has been introduced at more than 900 events. Secondary sales by ticket buyers are also possible if the organizer permits and sets a limit on the amount of secondary sales. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from tickets bought and sold among users is returned to the primary seller. While there have been cases of tickets being resold at high prices on social networking sites for popular performances, TicketMe uses blockchain (distributed ledger) technology to authenticate the identity of the buyer. TicketMe uses blockchain (distributed ledger) technology to authenticate identity and manage ticket sales history to prevent malicious resales.
Our DID platform “SHIKI” has already been adopted as a means of identity verification on “TicketMe” and is linked to the My number card as a verified digital certificate VC.
In order to diversify the means of personal identification and increase convenience, we have decided to use Acrete’s SMS authentication, which is becoming increasingly popular as a means of cell phone number identification, and to issue it as a digital certificate using our VC technology. This enables the use of SMS authentication to authenticate the possession of cell phone numbers associated with smartphones, which are carried more frequently and do not require the memorization of PINs, thereby realizing more convenient personal authentication.
Figure 2: Prevention of unauthorized resale through identity verification using DID/VC technology
Background and purpose of providing “SMS-OTP for DID
Based on its mission of “providing a secure and optimal platform,” Acryte is developing “SMS Connect” for authentication and contact notification applications in SMS services. The use of SMS for authentication requires high system quality because of the need for stability and immediacy of the system. Of these, 39% are used for authentication purposes, giving us an advantage in authentication. In recent years, “expansion of the authentication domain” has been one of the themes of our growth strategy, and since our investment in 2021, we have jointly explored, discussed, and researched the conversion of cell phone numbers into mobile IDs.
We are one of the few companies established in 2020 with the goal of spreading the international standard of decentralized ID throughout Japan and are one of the few companies implementing service offerings using blockchain technology. Acrete invested in the company in August 2021 and is expanding the scope of its business. In conjunction with SHIKI, a DID issuance and management platform service developed and provided by the Company, the digital certificate is not only a conventional My Number Card, but also a digital proof of possession authentication result of a cell phone number, which enables a cheaper and simpler identification process.
The decision was made to integrate the technologies of the two companies, link Acryte’s “SMS Connect,” which can be sent by all four mobile carriers, with our “DID infrastructure,” and jointly offer “SMS-OTP for DID,” a distributed ID issuance service that incorporates the results of owner authentication of cell phone numbers, which are personal attribute information, as digital certificates. The decision to jointly provide “SMS-OTP for DID,” a distributed ID issuance service that incorporates the results of authentication of mobile phone number ownership with personal attribute information as digital certificates, has been reached.
Future Outlook
In the future, we are also looking at developing a “biometric authentication for DID” initiative that uses facial and other biometric information as digital certificates. Together with Acryte, we will jointly promote the use of identification information when issuing local currencies and stable coins (cryptocurrency linked to legal tender, etc.) based on blockchain-based common ID management.
About Acrito Corporation
Company Name : Acrete Corporation (Growth: 4395)
Representative: Masanari Tanaka, President and Representative Director
Location : 3F axle Ochanomizu, 3-28-5 Kanda Ogawamachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Establishment : May 2014
Capital ：372,454 thousand yen *As of March 2024
Business Overview : Messaging Service Business
URL : https://www.accrete-inc.com/
*Acrete is a registered trademark or trademark of Acrete Corporation in Japan.
The names of companies, products and services mentioned herein are the registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective companies.
About Chichemie Corporation
Company name : CHICEMY Co.
Representative: Daisuke Miyashita, Representative Director and CEO
Location : 3F, 1-23-10 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Establishment : June 2022
Capital ：140,000 thousand yen
Business Outline ： NFT Ticket Sales Platform
URL : https://ticketme.co.jp/
About Digital Platformer, Inc.
Company Name : Digital Platformer K.K.
Representative: Kazutaka Matsuda, Representative Director and CEO
Location : Nittele Yotsuya Bldg. 5F, 3-23 Kojimachi 5-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Establishment : April 2020
Capital ：100,000 thousand yen
Business Overview: Development, provision, and implementation support of digital local currencies and decentralized ID issuing SaaS System development of financial and document management platform using blockchain Consulting for digitalization promotion using blockchain, etc.
URL : https://digitalplatformer.co.jp/
Digital Platformer is an innovative fintech company that has been providing blockchain technology-based digital regional promotion notes and decentralized ID and digital regional currency issuance platforms to local governments and businesses since its founding in 2020. 2024 will see Japan’s first deposit-based stable coin issuance with a regional bank. We are working to develop a new platform utilizing consortium-type blockchain that meets the diverse needs of local governments and business corporations.