Revolutionising Access: FastAuth and the Future of Web3

In the early days of the web, also known as Web2, the Internet was a no man’s land of free-roaming exploration. Users would log in to a select number of websites using clunky and often insecure authentication systems. Passwords were simple, forgettable, and frequently compromised.?

We left personal data trails each time we interacted online - data that was used as a weapon of mass consumption for businesses and criminals alike to help them feed their drive to sell more, steal more and keep us hooked on the latest and greatest products and services on offer. In this highly centralised system we had no control over our own data and its monetisation.?

Yet the world wide web was an exciting place that shaped the way we lived and we continued to embrace it. Over the years, the process of exploration evolved, becoming more secure but increasingly complex, presenting a maze of captcha, multi-factor authentication, seed phrases, and more - often just to make a simple purchase online.

The battle of protecting one’s data also continues to rage, as people get caught out by unwillingly giving companies access to more information than they should. How many people disable their cookies or read the fine print when accepting the terms and conditions on a website?

Web3 -the next iteration of this digital world - is meant to offer a better alternative to onboarding clients. Highly decentralised, it allows users to bypass intermediaries and connect directly with each other, and have full control over their data and how it is monetised.??

So why aren’t the masses signing up to Web3 in droves??

One of the biggest challenges is that users new to the space find it too difficult and complex to understand. Blockchain, smart contracts and decentralised applications are hard to wrap your head around if you are not familiar with the Web3 ecosystem. Education is important to overcome these hurdles.?

The user experience with Web3 apps can also be disappointing. Many of them are still in early stage development and aren’t as polished or easy to use as mainstream Web2 applications. Trying to navigate through a decentralised system is equally tough. Minimal interoperability between blockchains and dApps compounds the confusion and frustration for potential users - so too the onboarding process for opening a wallet and finding an easy and safe way to convert crypto to fiat and vice versa.??

With so many challenges presented to Web3 onboarding, you would think that mass adoption is a distant dream.

But today, a revolution in the login process for Web3? is upon us with the launch of FastAuth.

And this changes everything.

What is FastAuth?

FastAuth is a game-changer in the digital landscape, promising a seamless onboarding experience that is even faster than Web2, which? allows users to effortlessly create accounts for any app integrated with the Blockchain Operating System (BOS) without the need for cryptocurrency. This innovation significantly lowers the threshold for adoption and paves the way for a massive influx of Web2 users into the Web3 space.

In essence, FastAuth is a streamlined system that lets users quickly and easily create accounts for any website or app. The user experience is at the forefront of FastAuth's design. It allows the creation of a free account using biometrics, phone prompts, and an email address. This system not only provides users with the ability to rapidly engage with an app but also offers the ease of re-authentication across different devices. By incorporating decentralised email recovery, users no longer have to remember complicated seed phrases or passwords.

Who is it for?

This news is particularly exciting for three main groups: developers, enterprises and users. For developers, the streamlined onboarding can significantly increase adoption rates for those trying your components or app, along with your total addressable audience. Meanwhile, for enterprises, FastAuth is the easiest way to integrate web3 and crypto technology into your business.?

And, of course, FastAuth throws open the doors of Web3 for users who might have previously been confused as to the process. FastAuth means that setting up a secure account, over which you have full control, now only takes seconds. In fact, it’s even easier than the passwords and usernames you are already used to.?

Why does it matter?

This technology is poised to resolve one of the most significant hurdles in Web3 adoption: the complexity of the onboarding process. For years, the necessity to remember lengthy passwords or seed phrases has deterred many potential users. They found this shift from the familiar centralised authentication methods, such as Google, quite daunting. The result was an unwelcoming barrier that made it difficult to onboard new individuals quickly and easily into the Web3 space.

But FastAuth is much more than just an enhanced onboarding tool. Beyond streamlining the onboarding, FastAuth also removes the need for users to have or acquire crypto to open an account or transact, making it possible for anyone to get started right away. Along with this FastAuth also removes the need to download any specialised software or applications because everything works seamlessly right from the browser on your desktop or mobile device.

This is a huge step forward for Web3

Essentially, FastAuth is an ingenious fusion of accessibility, convenience, and security. It tears down the intimidating walls that previously barricaded the average internet user from the expansive universe of Web3, a world that, until now, seemed esoteric and inaccessible to many. By creating a familiar user experience, FastAuth makes the transition from Web2 to Web3 as natural as upgrading from a flip phone to a smartphone.

This is why FastAuth matters. It's not just a step forward; it's a giant leap towards a more inclusive, accessible, and user-friendly internet. By making Web3 accessible to billions, it heralds a new age of internet access, one with much lower barriers to entry and where difficult passwords and seed phrases become things of the past.

What gets me excited is that FastAuth is paving the way for a new kind of internet experience. It is an innovation that invites everyone to participate in the Web3 revolution without the fear of complexity or the need for prior crypto knowledge. FastAuth signifies a clear message: The future of the internet is here, and it's easier, safer, and more accessible than ever before.?

Want to know more? Check this blog post out - https://near.org/blog/get-to-know-the-bos-fastauth-for-easy-web2-style-onboarding-and-account-recovery/