Atala PRISM Mini-Tutorial

                                                 Atala Prism Mini-Tutorial

 

   Many of us in the Cardano community have become accustomed to the network and its projects as always being “under construction”, rather than applicable in real-time, real-life circumstances.  We know there is a long road ahead which will see wider adoption and the growth of the network and are following the development stories closely.  We are most likely all in a state of anticipation, waiting for the rollouts of the full spectrum of Cardano and IOHK projects, with Alonzo/Marlowe being the next upcoming milestone.  So many positive components are being tested and prepared to be brought online that we may not be fully aware of what is actually at our fingertips, right here and right now. As I mentioned in my previous post about Atala PRISM, I was delighted to find the PRISM App available for IOS and Android in the App Store, ready to be put into action.

 

   So, I got the App and explored it for my own benefit, and I thought a quick little tutorial might be useful.  The App is deceptively simple and easy to launch.  The beautiful part of Atala PRISM is that it is seamless and immediately useful. It is disguised as a no-frills App, but in reality it is a super powerful user interface for establishing and storing your own immutable Digital Identification (DID) on the Cardano Blockchain which is instantly retrievable and can be shared securely and confidently with anyone, anywhere in the world.  In essence, PRISM is a perfect example of the power and functionality of decentralization and immutability that blockchain technology gives us.

 

   You simply download the App to your device of choice, and it walks you through the process of creating a Profile which is protected by a 12 word personal key.  Then you can initiate either fingerprint or facial recognition biometric activation, and that’s about it.  The next step is to “Connect to an organization to receive your first credential.”, which will be stored in either the Contacts or Credentials subfields, or both, which is done using the built in QR Code icon.  Under Settings there are 5 headings:  Backup Account (which is “coming soon”), Reset Data, Security (with Biometrics), Support, and About. They are all transparent and easy to review.

 

   At this time I feel that Atala PRISM is ahead of the curve where organizations are concerned.  It will take time for banks, schools, government agencies, exchanges, and vendors to get on board to have the credentials ready to be scanned, but the capability to establish your DID firmly imbedded in the Cardano Blockchain is literally in your hand.  So as I said before, the future isn’t merely in development, it is now.  Go to your App store and try it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.