How the INTU SDK Enables dEOAs

A Deeper Dive into Distributed Externally Owned Accounts

1. Understanding the Core Concepts

• Distributed Externally Owned Accounts (dEOAs):
  • Think of dEOAs as advanced versions of traditional blockchain accounts, with an emphasis on decentralization.
  • They have no private keys. Instead, their "ownership" and control are spread across multiple participants via cryptographic means.

• Proposers and Participants:
  • These are the stakeholders in a dEOA. While participants represent the collective identity of a dEOA, any of them can become a proposer to initiate actions for the dEOA.
  • Whether members of a DAO or individual accounts, participants use traditional EOAs to interact and manage their position within the dEOA.

• Key Shares:
  • Each participant holds a key share, intrinsically linked to the dEOA.
  • Alone, these key shares can't control the dEOA. When combined with others, they give authoritative power over the dEOA's actions.

• Threshold Signatures:
  • The gold standard of dEOA activity validation.
  • Not every participant needs to sign every action. Instead, once a pre-set majority (or threshold) is reached, the action is authenticated.
  • This sophisticated approach is more scalable than traditional multisignatures.

• Communication & Security:
  • By design, the protocol assumes all communication could potentially be public and vulnerable. The core design counters this with advanced encryption and on-chain data storage.
  • Developers have the flexibility to leverage other decentralized channels like LibP2P or even conventional channels like SMS.

2. Account Creation: The Genesis of a dEOA

• Pre-requisites:
  • Each dEOA participant needs a standard EOA.
  • These standard accounts (often as simple as a browser wallet) can be created via the SDK.
  • The protocol requires public addresses of these accounts to birth a dEOA.

• Initiating a dEOA:
  • The protocol is democratic. Anyone with the requisite public addresses can propose a dEOA.
  • Once proposed, the protocol oversees the heavy lifting. The dEOA’s public address is returned to participants upon successful creation.

• Onboarding to a dEOA:
  • Participants receive an invitation in INTU-integrated applications.
  • Developers leveraging the SDK can embed this mechanism seamlessly within their decentralized applications (dApps).
  • On acceptance, the protocol carries out the necessary under-the-hood tasks.

3. Signature Formation: Giving Voice to a dEOA

• Initiating an Action:
  • To breathe life into a dEOA, actions need approval, which is granted via threshold signatures.
  • Any participant can kickstart this process by proposing a signature, backed by their key share.

• Co-signing Proposals:
  • Active participants receive notifications for co-signing.
  • If consensus is reached (as per the set threshold), the action goes live. If not, it remains dormant.

4. Revolutionary Key Resharing: A New Dimension in Security

• What is Key Resharing?:
  • At its core, key resharing periodically redistributes power among dEOA participants. It's a dynamic, cryptographic method to enhance security and adaptability.
  • Key resharing can:
    • Recover compromised accounts.
    • Facilitate the dynamic addition/removal of participants.
    • Periodically reset security, enhancing the account’s resistance to potential threats.

• Initiating a Reshare:
  • Much like a transaction proposal, key resharing starts with a suggestion.
  • It requires a distinct threshold, often more significant than standard transactions, ensuring broader consensus for resharing activities.

• Participation in Resharing:
  • For participants, the resharing approval process mimics that of transaction validation.
  • Upon consensus, the protocol rejuvenates the dEOA with new key shares, keeping its integrity intact.

5. Account Management: Fine-Tuning the dEOA

• The INTU SDK doesn’t just stop at creating and managing dEOAs. It allows participants to:
  • Alter signature and resharing thresholds.
  • Access the comprehensive history and present state of dEOA participants.