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Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

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51–60 of 108 posts

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#51
post #25
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's the link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/solutions/... I haven't used their implementation yet but Microsoft initiated the did:ion method. I guess they'll support it :-D In general, the idea with DID methods is that you can support many methods without too much effort - for example the Universal Resolver implements already a good bunch: https://dev.uniresolver.io/ However, pointing in the di…

Ok, I'll have to look more in-depth into the Microsoft link, they link to many more pages including a whitepaper. Regarding all the blockchain centric DID methods, would someone wanting to validate a DID (eg: did:thecoin:whatever_would_go_here), need to hold a copy of the blockchain? (in a scenario where one doesn't want to be dependent on a third party for blockchain interactions).

For most of blockchains you can do light client validation without the full chain (or full node). Light client needs to only know the block headers to validate a truth.

You can get block headers with very lightweight download work from peer-to-peer network.

https://geth.ethereum.org/docs/interface/les

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#52
post #27

So I've just scanned over this stuff, maybe someone can fill in some gaps for me. There's a list of DID methods "in development" [1]. Is this the list of methods, or is there a centralized registry, or are these just "known" methods? If there's a centralized registry -- then this isn't really "decentralized" is it? On top of that there's a land-grab that's already begun for the method names, and isn't that going to k…

That's the list of methods; and yes, there is very much a land grab going on right now. No, there's nothing stopping you making your own methods. But will anyone actually use it?

So if I’m building a service that lets somebody login with a DID, and I’m using a DID library to verify your authN then that library needs a different code block for every one of those methods?? LOL. What could possibly go wrong? Or less sarcastically, how could this possibly be expected to work?

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#53
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There'll surely be custodial services if this takes off.

This reminds me of web service/UDDI registries, that were supposed to come, and all the WS buzz in early 2000s. Some of them came indeed only to be shut down in a few years.

That's exactly the same comparison I've been making regards the W3C VC and DID specifications - we're basically repeating the bad parts of the WS specifications.

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#54
post #5

This relies on public-key cryptography? If that is the case, then who is responsible for maintaining the private key? If that responsibility is with the user, then what happens if the user loses the private key? Does the user loses the identity as well? Is there a way to recover that?

There are already some really simple solutions: for example https://keri.one specifies one of the most obvious solutions to the problem. Then proceeds to wrap it up in a lot of web3-inspired gobbledygook.

Have you ever used 2FA systems where you can create various printed "back-up keys". Take that idea then run with it a little and you have KERI.

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#55
post #11

I was initially pretty hyped when I read the abstract for DIDs, bookmarked the spec and read it later. The "spec" is a bunch of buzzwords and vague generic "concepts". The DIDs themselves mean basically nothing, it's the "methods" that actually must have their own specification and actually "do something". Another feeling you can quickly get from DIDs is that they're blockchain centric. The entire concept is "jack of…

> The entire concept is "jack of all trades, master of none" is The quote is “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

No it isn’t.

Wikipedia says “there are no known instances of this second line dated to before the twenty-first century”:

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_of_all_trade...

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#56
post #27

So I've just scanned over this stuff, maybe someone can fill in some gaps for me. There's a list of DID methods "in development" [1]. Is this the list of methods, or is there a centralized registry, or are these just "known" methods? If there's a centralized registry -- then this isn't really "decentralized" is it? On top of that there's a land-grab that's already begun for the method names, and isn't that going to k…

That's the list of methods; and yes, there is very much a land grab going on right now. No, there's nothing stopping you making your own methods. But will anyone actually use it?

> there is very much a land grab going on right now.

Where and how?

Edit: I just saw the list. It's very land grabby feeling.

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#57
post #30
post #11

I was initially pretty hyped when I read the abstract for DIDs, bookmarked the spec and read it later. The "spec" is a bunch of buzzwords and vague generic "concepts". The DIDs themselves mean basically nothing, it's the "methods" that actually must have their own specification and actually "do something". Another feeling you can quickly get from DIDs is that they're blockchain centric. The entire concept is "jack of…

Both Google and Mozilla objected to this standard because the "method" is left undefined. W3C overruled them. https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/01/w3c_overrules_objecti...

Funny to see Google and Mozilla siding on ethical issues. It really seems like the W3C has finally lost its compass and now wants to venture into the blockchain. Only positive thing is to see Google loosing once in a standards fight, however, I think it might just have been the wrong anarchist endeavour inside the W3C. In the end we will get more centralisation because looks like nobody except the big ones can push standards on a technical decent level (indirectly pushing their agenda).

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#58
post #57
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both Google and Mozilla objected to this standard because the "method" is left undefined. W3C overruled them. https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/01/w3c_overrules_objecti...

Funny to see Google and Mozilla siding on ethical issues. It really seems like the W3C has finally lost its compass and now wants to venture into the blockchain. Only positive thing is to see Google loosing once in a standards fight, however, I think it might just have been the wrong anarchist endeavour inside the W3C. In the end we will get more centralisation because looks like nobody except the big ones can push s…

> Only positive thing is to see Google loosing once in a standards fight

It is far from the first time. For instance, Google was involved in the WHATWG, which developed the HTML standard while the W3C pushed XHTML.

The standards war, itself, is only lost when nearly nobody uses the standard, which is what happened to XHTML, which lost to WHATWG’s HTML when browsers simply didn’t use XHTML.

It sounds like a lot of cryptocurrency companies wish to prop up this standard, but it is not clear to me that actual people would use it for a non-circular goal.

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#59
post #57
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both Google and Mozilla objected to this standard because the "method" is left undefined. W3C overruled them. https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/01/w3c_overrules_objecti...

Funny to see Google and Mozilla siding on ethical issues. It really seems like the W3C has finally lost its compass and now wants to venture into the blockchain. Only positive thing is to see Google loosing once in a standards fight, however, I think it might just have been the wrong anarchist endeavour inside the W3C. In the end we will get more centralisation because looks like nobody except the big ones can push s…

[deleted]

Re: Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

#60
post #57
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both Google and Mozilla objected to this standard because the "method" is left undefined. W3C overruled them. https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/01/w3c_overrules_objecti...

Funny to see Google and Mozilla siding on ethical issues. It really seems like the W3C has finally lost its compass and now wants to venture into the blockchain. Only positive thing is to see Google loosing once in a standards fight, however, I think it might just have been the wrong anarchist endeavour inside the W3C. In the end we will get more centralisation because looks like nobody except the big ones can push s…

> Funny to see Google and Mozilla siding on ethical issues

It's not the first time Google and Mozilla sided together against the W3C on web standards, and the last notable time resulted, over time, in the W3C ultimately being displaced from any role in the HTML and DOM standards.

The standards group that implementers listen to (which, for some reason, seems to be the one that listens to implementers, when there are competing options) is the only one that matters, in practice.

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