internet-id/docs/PLATFORM_VERIFICATION.md

Platform Verification Guide

This guide explains how to verify content on different platforms using the Internet-ID verification system.

Supported Platforms

The Internet-ID system supports verification for the following platforms:

• YouTube - Video and channel verification
• TikTok - Video and user profile verification
• Instagram - Posts, reels, and profile verification
• GitHub - Repository, file, and gist verification
• Discord - Server invite and channel verification
• LinkedIn - Profile and post verification

Platform Verification Mechanisms

YouTube

Verification Approach: Video ID or channel verification via URL parsing

URL Formats:

• Standard watch URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• Short URL: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• Shorts URL: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID

Usage:

# Bind YouTube video to content
npm run bind:youtube -- <masterFilePath> <youtubeVideoId> <registryAddress>

# Verify YouTube video binding
npm run verify:youtube -- <youtubeUrlOrId> <registryAddress>

Limitations:

• Requires valid YouTube video ID
• Video must be publicly accessible for verification
• Re-encoded versions on YouTube can be bound to original content

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TikTok

Verification Approach: Video ID or user profile verification via URL parsing

URL Formats:

• Video with username: https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/1234567890
• Video without username: https://www.tiktok.com/video/1234567890
• Mobile URL: https://m.tiktok.com/@user/video/9876543210

Extracted ID Format:

• @username/video/1234567890 or video/1234567890

Usage:

# Bind TikTok video to content
npm run bind:tiktok -- <masterFilePath> <tiktokId> <registryAddress>

# Verify TikTok video binding
npm run verify:tiktok -- <tiktokUrlOrId> <registryAddress>

Limitations:

• Requires publicly accessible TikTok content
• Platform ID should include username path when available
• TikTok's content algorithm may show re-encoded versions

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Instagram

Verification Approach: Post shortcode or profile bio verification via URL parsing

URL Formats:

• Post URL: https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/
• Reel URL: https://www.instagram.com/reel/SHORTCODE/
• Profile URL: https://www.instagram.com/username/

Extracted ID Format:

• p/SHORTCODE for posts
• reel/SHORTCODE for reels
• username for profiles

Usage:

# Bind Instagram post to content
npm run bind:instagram -- <masterFilePath> <instagramId> <registryAddress>

# Verify Instagram post binding
npm run verify:instagram -- <instagramUrlOrId> <registryAddress>

Limitations:

• Requires publicly accessible Instagram content
• Private profiles cannot be verified by third parties
• Instagram may compress or modify uploaded content

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GitHub

Verification Approach: Repository file or gist verification

URL Formats:

• Repository: https://github.com/user/repo
• File in repo: https://github.com/user/repo/blob/main/file.txt
• Gist: https://gist.github.com/user/gistid

Extracted ID Format:

• user/repo for repositories
• user/repo/blob/main/file.txt for files
• gist/user/gistid for gists

Usage:

# Bind GitHub repository to content
npm run bind:github -- <masterFilePath> <githubId> <registryAddress>

# Verify GitHub repository binding
npm run verify:github -- <githubUrlOrId> <registryAddress>

Verification Methods:

1. Repository README: Add content hash to README.md
2. Gist: Create a gist containing the content hash
3. File in repo: Add verification file with content hash

Limitations:

• Repository/gist must be publicly accessible
• Verification requires on-chain binding before creating verification proof
• Private repositories cannot be verified by third parties

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Discord

Verification Approach: Server invite or custom status verification

URL Formats:

• Invite URL (discord.gg): https://discord.gg/INVITE_CODE
• Invite URL (discord.com): https://discord.com/invite/INVITE_CODE
• Channel URL: https://discord.com/channels/SERVER_ID/CHANNEL_ID

Extracted ID Format:

• INVITE_CODE for discord.gg invites
• invite/INVITE_CODE for discord.com invites
• channels/SERVER_ID/CHANNEL_ID for channel links

Usage:

# Bind Discord server to content
npm run bind:discord -- <masterFilePath> <discordId> <registryAddress>

# Verify Discord server binding
npm run verify:discord -- <discordUrlOrId> <registryAddress>

Verification Methods:

1. Server Description: Add content hash to server description
2. Custom Status: Set custom status with content hash
3. Channel Topic: Add verification hash to channel topic

Limitations:

• Server must be publicly accessible or user must be a member
• Invite codes may expire
• Verification requires appropriate server permissions

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LinkedIn

Verification Approach: Profile summary or post verification

URL Formats:

• Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/username/
• Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-ID/
• Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/companyname/

Extracted ID Format:

• in/username for profiles
• posts/activity-ID for posts
• company/companyname for companies

Usage:

# Bind LinkedIn profile to content
npm run bind:linkedin -- <masterFilePath> <linkedinId> <registryAddress>

# Verify LinkedIn profile binding
npm run verify:linkedin -- <linkedinUrlOrId> <registryAddress>

Verification Methods:

1. Profile Summary: Add content hash to profile summary
2. Post Content: Create a post with the content hash
3. Company Description: Add verification to company page

Limitations:

• Profile must be publicly visible
• LinkedIn's privacy settings may restrict visibility
• Posts may have limited lifetime or visibility

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General Verification Flow

For all platforms, the verification process follows these steps:

1. Register Content: Register your original content hash on-chain

   npm run register -- <filePath> <manifestURI> <registryAddress>
   

2. Bind Platform ID: Bind your platform-specific ID to the content hash

   npm run bind:<platform> -- <masterFilePath> <platformId> <registryAddress>
   

3. Verify Binding: Verify the platform binding is correct

   npm run verify:<platform> -- <platformUrlOrId> <registryAddress>
   

4. Share Proof: Generate and share the verification proof with others

Web UI Integration

All platforms are integrated into the web UI with:

• Platform selection dropdown in One-shot, Bind forms
• Automatic URL parsing for all supported platforms
• Platform-specific verification badges and links
• QR code generation for sharing verification links

API Integration

The API supports platform verification through:

• /api/resolve?platform=<platform>&platformId=<id> - Resolve platform binding
• /api/public-verify?platform=<platform>&platformId=<id> - Public verification

Best Practices

1. Use Descriptive Platform IDs: Include full paths (e.g., user/repo for GitHub)
2. Verify Before Sharing: Always run verification before sharing links
3. Keep Records: Save transaction hashes for future reference
4. Update Documentation: Document verification locations for your audience
5. Test Links: Verify all generated URLs work correctly

Security Considerations

• On-chain Verification: All bindings are immutable once registered on-chain
• Signature Validation: Content hash signatures are cryptographically verified
• Creator Authority: Only content creators can bind platform IDs
• Manifest Integrity: Manifests are validated against on-chain data

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Invalid Platform ID: Ensure URL format matches platform requirements
2. No Binding Found: Content must be registered before binding platforms
3. Signature Mismatch: Manifest must be signed by content creator
4. Network Errors: Check RPC URL and network connectivity

Support

For additional help:

• Check the GitHub Issues
• Review test files for examples: test/verify-*.test.ts
• See the main README.md for general setup

Future Enhancements

Planned features for platform verification:

• Automated verification proof generation
• Platform-specific metadata extraction
• Multi-chain support for bindings
• Extended platform support (more social networks, content platforms)