Hello ICP Community,
We’re excited to share an update on idGeek’s journey toward full decentralization. Here’s why we’re making changes, what we’re solving, and how our new architecture will works—step by step.
What’s the Problem? Why Change?
Right now, idGeek relies on a central smart contract controlled by our team. While we’ve built it with care, this setup requires users to trust us—a fundamental conflict with Web3’s philosophy of trustlessness. No matter how reliable we aim to be, centralized control introduces risks and undermines the ownership users deserve.
Why Can’t We Just Transition to an SNS DAO as Is?
Our current architecture uses a single smart contract to manage Internet Identities (or other assets) that users transfer to it for selling. Transitioning this to an SNS DAO would shift control from our team to the DAO, reducing some trust issues—but not all. The DAO itself could still be compromised (as we detailed in our last post), leaving user assets vulnerable. Even a minimized risk is too much when it comes to what you own.
What’s the Solution?
Our answer is simple yet powerful: each asset a user wants to sell gets its own blackholed smart contract. Think of it as a bespoke, standalone contract per asset, per deal. This contract holds the Internet Identity (or other asset) for the duration of the sale. It’s open-source, verifiable, and blackholed—meaning no one, not even us or a DAO, can alter it once deployed. Users trust only the code, not any party.
Where Do These Contracts Come From?
They originate from a trustless, immutable Smart Contract Hub—a starting point for anyone looking to sell an Internet Identity or other asset. Users deploy their own contracts directly from this Hub, ensuring the process is secure and transparent from the moment it begins.
How Do Contracts Get Into the Hub?
The SNS DAO will play a limited role here: it will approve and add contract templates to the Hub. These templates serve as blueprints—users pick one that fits their needs and deploy their own contract. The DAO can’t touch deployed contracts, ever; its job ends at template approval.
Who Creates These Contracts?
Anyone can propose a new contract template to the DAO. Every submission must be fully open-source, so the code is transparent to all. The DAO may appoint auditors to review proposed contracts, but independent auditors can also step in at their own cost, ensuring community-driven scrutiny.
What If Something Goes Wrong Due to Changes in ICP?
No system is immune to external shifts, like updates in ICP’s infrastructure. That’s why each contract includes an emergency mode. If an asset gets stuck, the owner can activate this mode after a set expiration period (fully transparent and verifiable). Until then, the contract remains immutable, locking out interference.
What About the Marketplace?
There’s no need for a centralized marketplace anymore. Transactions, escrow, and ownership transfers happen entirely within the contract itself. Our default marketplace—and any future ones built by others—will function only as read-only storefronts, displaying listings without controlling assets or deals. Marketplace fees will be part of the contract, ensuring any platform that helps facilitate a sale gets rewarded without needing trust or control. Everything you need is baked into the contract, so marketplaces have no control and trust isn’t required.
What Are the Main Benefits?
This approach delivers what Web3 promises:
- No need to trust anyone — not the team, DAO, marketplace, seller, buyer, or anyone else—just the code.
- Custom contracts — templates for any asset, any transaction, any need, far beyond just Internet Identities or sales.
- No risk, even in failure — emergency mode ensures stuck assets can always be recovered.
We’re building a system where trust in people or entities is replaced by trust in transparent, verifiable code. This is idGeek reimagined: a platform where every asset gets its own secure, independent contract, free from centralized risks. We’re working on this now and can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
GeekFactory Team