Observed Signal · Apr 15, 2026 · Technical Release · Source: DEV Community · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
IRLid: Browser-based Proof-of-Presence Tool
A developer built IRLid, a browser-based proof-of-presence tool that lets two people scan each other’s QR codes to receive a cryptographically signed receipt attesting co-location within about 12 metres. The system runs entirely in the browser using the Web Crypto API and ECDSA P-256, requires no app, accounts, biometrics or central server, and uses a cooperative, self-reported GPS model. After shipping v3 the author fixed a signing/verification bug caused by server-side stripping of GPS coordinates and inconsistent JSON property ordering by switching to canonical serialization for payload hashing. IRLid now offers an embeddable widget (iframe + postMessage API) and documents limitations and protocol details on GitHub and irlid.co.uk.
Small-scale developer release of a niche browser proof-of-presence tool; interesting for identity/verification experiments but limited direct impact on the broader AdTech industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- IRLid is a browser-based proof-of-presence tool enabling two people to scan each other’s QR codes and obtain a cryptographically signed receipt proving co-location within 12 metres.
- The system runs entirely in the browser via the Web Crypto API and uses ECDSA P-256 for signatures; it requires no app, accounts, biometrics or central server.
- After shipping v3, a bug caused receipts to fail verification because GPS coordinates were stripped server-side and JSON property ordering differed; the fix involved moving from JSON.stringify() to canonical() for payload hashing before ECDSA signing.
- IRLid provides an embeddable widget that sites can integrate via a single iframe and the postMessage API; a demo is hosted at irlid.co.uk/demo-login.html.
- The project uses a cooperative, self-reported GPS trust model and documents limitations and protocol details in PROTOCOL.md on GitHub.
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