We’ve crossed a threshold where:
- AI can generate convincing artifacts at infinite scale
- Identity, authorship, and provenance are easily forged
- URLs, usernames, and “official” sources are no longer trustworthy by default
Therein lies an asymmetry: generation is abundant, while verification is scarce. This creates a legitimate architectural — and civilizational — problem:
How do we verify what is real in a world where simulacra are the default?
We are not without a solution. Ethereum and ENS are built precisely for this problem. But realizing it requires moving beyond the framing of ENS as merely “names on Ethereum,” and recognizing it as a human-readable interface to cryptographic truth, anchored in Ethereum as a neutral, universal settlement layer.
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With support from @PublicGoods_Stewards, I’ve developed what I hope is a first step toward repositioning ENS as a trust-routing system and compiler that anchors heterogeneous namespaces to Ethereum as the root of trust: the Universal Resolver Matrix (URM).
To be clear, the URM is not:
- A resolver implementation
- A protocol mandate
- A prescriptive standard
Rather, the URM exists to help the DAO answer: “Which verifier unlocks the most new namespaces per unit of engineering effort?” — providing a needs-first basis for prioritizing resolver infra and missing primitives.
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At a high level, the URM maps resolver architectures across four dimensions:
| Dimension | Role in resolution |
|---|---|
| Trust model | Defines the source of truth for a namespace |
| Proof system | Specifies how claims are proven and verified |
| Rules & lifecycle | Governs name creation, mutation, and revocation |
| Verification path | Defines how final trust is anchored in Ethereum |
ENSIP-19 already represents the first concrete branch within this Matrix. URM generalizes that approach so future integrations — whether L2s, non-EVM chains, DNSSEC, WebAuthn, or offchain systems — can be reasoned about systematically rather than ad hoc.
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The Universal Resolver Matrix is intended as reference material for builders working on resolvers, CCIP-Read gateways, and cross-namespace integrations.
For systems engineers anchoring heterogeneous trust models back to Ethereum, the Matrix provides a common vocabulary and framework for reasoning about those choices deliberately.
→ Review the matrix (WIP): Universal Resolver Matrix - Eureka