Project highlights
User Public Achievement Standard (UPAS) is a Decentralized Open-source Universal Reputation Standard built to enable users’ true control over their digital reputation. UPAS utilizes Internet Computer canisters to securely and autonomously verify user achievements, issuing credentials.
Web3 advantages
UPAS, differs from other reputation protocol/systems, which are often centralized or tied to specific ecosystem. UPAS allows users to own and control their digital reputation across multiple environments. Web2 and Web3 platforms typically lack interoperability, while UPAS credentials can be recognized across Apps, dApps and ecosystems.
Enhancing ICP Internet Identity: UPAS solving one of the key challenges of II - sharing information about users between principals/dApps and expands the current capabilities of Internet Identity. It enables users to collect and consolidate their digital reputation from various Web2 and Web3 applications and other chains (not only ICP) into an Identity Wallet that is securely linked to their Internet Identity.
Cross-Platform Credentials: UPAS enables users to mint verifiable credentials (achievements) that are recognized across multiple decentralized applications and protocols, allowing a unified digital reputation.
Algorithmic Trust: UPAS aims to address the Classic Trust Triangle problem with Centralized issuers by creating a universal, open, and user-centric reputation system. It shifting trust from human factor to smart contracts (canisters) and decentrally verify the user’s validity and then issuing a credential, eliminates the need to trust individual issuers or their backends.
Public Good for the Internet Computer Ecosystem: A key goal of UPAS is to drive global adoption of SSI and boost the IC ecosystem. It encourages collaboration between projects by facilitating the mutual recognition of achievements and credentials.
UPAS enables projects within ICP to implement basic humanity verification based on users’ past activities and offers broad opportunities for incentivization of activities and rewarding users based on their engagement.
Articles:
The Web3 Reputation Dilemma: Decentralization vs. Fragmentation
The Web3 Issuers Problem: Centralization in a Decentralized World
How is it built
Key Terminology and Concepts
- Achievements: Public credentials issued as NFTs. Each achievement is linked to a specific canister that verifies a user’s activity within a project or protocol.
- Hub: A decentralized application (dApp) that allows users to manage and control their achievements.
- Identity Wallet: The user’s wallet, where achievements are stored and connected to the Hub. In the overall architecture, this wallet represents the Identity Holder in the Trust Triangle.
- Issuer: A protocol or project responsible for issuing an achievement (acting as a verifier of user activity).
- Issuer Marketplace: A centralized list of issuers who can issue achievements to users.
- Internal Principal: Represents the difference between an entity inside a dApp and an identity linked to the Identity Wallet.
- Reputation Module: A canister deployed by a project that allows it to act both as an issuer and verifier of achievements for users.
UPAS Interaction Flow With App
The figure below illustrates the postMessage logic workflow, where UPAS interacts with applications and identity wallets via four key steps:
- Select Identity: The project requests the user’s identity from the UPAS Hub.
- Return Identity: The Hub returns the user’s chosen identity.
- Sign Signature: The project requests a signature from the user to verify their achievement.
- Receive Achievement: The Hub delivers the verified achievement to the project.
Articles:
Internet Computer superpowers
ICP’s decentralized consensus (13 nodes) ensures optimal trust and transparency for managing digital reputation. The built-in support for HTTP requests enables seamless integration of Web2 and Web3 data, allowing the creation of complex reputation chains. Its developer-friendly environment supports 8 programming languages and popular wallets (EVM, Solana, Bitcoin), making implementation adaptable and user-accessible. The infinitely scalable public API with free unlimited requests allows projects to grow without constraints. Additionally, continuous updates and support from the Dfinity Foundation ensure ongoing Public Good improvements and expanded Open Reputation Standart capabilities.
Article:
Blockchain’s Impact on Digital Reputation
Go-To-Market strategy
- Collaborate with ICP dApps: Establish direct partnerships with ICP dApps that are interested in sybil resistance and enhancing user engagement. Support them in integrating UPAS for marketing campaigns and reputation-based incentives.
- Developer Community Involvement: Foster a strong developer community by bridging the gap between dApps and user reputation, encouraging developers to adopt the UPAS standard and contribute to its evolution.
- “Build in Public” Approach: Actively share the development process through AMAs, articles, and public discussions. Leverage a “build in public” strategy to educate the community about digital reputation, on the benefits of the standard and gather valuable feedback for continuous improvement.
Monetization
Since we are building a Public Good, our primary focus at this stage is on reputational monetization. The goal is to make the UPAS standard universal, user-friendly, and transparent so that it becomes truly cross-platform and cross-chain. For this to happen, developers and issuers need to believe in the standard and start contributing naturally.
If the integration succeeds, monetization opportunities will arise by offering value-added services, such as:
- User-Friendly Interfaces: Developing interfaces on top of the standard to simplify achievement management for users and projects.
- Specialized Reputation Templates: Providing templates tailored for specific use cases, such as quests, DeFi, gaming, and other spaces.
- Centralized Infrastructure for Non-ICP Projects: Establishing centralized services to help projects unfamiliar with ICP easily deploy their achievements. This includes handling cycle payments using native cryptocurrencies, making integration more accessible for a broader range of projects.
Article:
Real Life Cases For Using UPAS
Why Is Digital Reputation Important? (with research and survey studies)
Status of the project
We have completed all the parts outlined for the current version of UPAS, and even exceeded some goals. Under the current grant, we accomplished:
- Implemented the User Public Achievements Standard: Developed core modules for issuers and achievement management, including canisters for eligibility checks and minting achievements (ICRC-7 standard).
- Launched the Hub and Issuer Marketplace: Created platforms for users to manage their achievements and for issuers to list and issue them.
- Documentation and Demo: Developed of a gold standard implementation through demonstration project, released tutorials, comprehensive documentation, and the UPAS library for easy canister integration, providing a solid foundation for developers.
Resources
GitHub
Docs
Dapps
- Marketplace: https://4kq2o-5iaaa-aaaaj-qnckq-cai.icp0.io/
- Hub: https://4dtrs-laaaa-aaaaj-qncla-cai.icp0.io/
- Example_frontend: - https://5j4ti-jqaaa-aaaaj-qncma-cai.icp0.io/
Candid
- Example_backend: DFINITY Canister Candid UI
- Achievement: DFINITY Canister Candid UI
- Reputation_module: DFINITY Canister Candid UI
- Icrc-7: DFINITY Canister Candid UI
- Indexer: DFINITY Canister Candid UI
Articles
https://x.com/lucker_ninja/articles
Future Plans
Our future plans for UPAS focus on enhancing scalability, expanding functionality, and driving adoption across various ecosystems:
- Enhanced Developer Tools: Create an expanded TypeScript library with support for major frameworks, enabling seamless interactions, error handling, and status updates in user interfaces.
- Standardization of Credentials: Replace the demo ICRC-7 standard with a standardized credential format recognized by ICP, ensuring compatibility and long-term usability.
- Unified Credential Indexer: Develop a centralized indexer for credentials to eliminate the need for individual Issuers. This will enable a trustless system where only immutable achievements are stored and verified.
- Improved Documentation: Provide concise, practical documentation focused on real-world applications, including a reference guide to our Digital Reputation articles.
- Optimization of Canister Signature Usage: Address the high cost of canister signatures to improve scalability and reduce cycle consumption.
- User Interface Improvements: Enhance the UI by fixing bugs, refining error handling, adding loading elements, and improving the display of achievements and search functionality.
- Marketplace Decentralization: Introduce a token for DAO-based governance to verify Issuers and achievements, allowing community-driven protocol development similar to NNS.
- Security and Audits: Establish security standards and audit the protocol to ensure safety, potentially paying for audits with UPAS tokens after securing liquidity.
- Integration with Wallets and Other Projects: Pursue wallet integrations for UPAS reputation support and collaborate with other projects for deeper ecosystem connections.
Additional plans include:
- Anonymous Credential Verification: Develop libraries and rules for users to anonymously prove ownership of achievements.
- Scalability Enhancements: Implement caching and restrictions on signatures and eligibility checks to prevent unnecessary cycle consumption.
- Cross-Chain Interactions: Support achievements based on interactions with other chains and social media verifications through Oracles.
- Separation of Public and Issued Achievements: Differentiate between public achievements that can be verified by smart contracts and issued achievements that require Issuers, with tools for managing both.