Identosphere 206: DIF Hackathon Challenges • Trust Framework Funding Crisis • EU Blockchain Sandbox onboards 41 Regulators
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Upcoming
Previously Listed
Designing for Security and Privacy beyond WEIRD [Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic']- Stanford Bag Lunch 10/09 12:00 pm Pacific [zoom link]
DIF Hackathon 10/1-11/4
[Berlin, Global Trust Foundation] EU Digital Identity Wallets Forum 10/09
[California] OpenID Foundation Workshop at Cisco 10/28
[California] VRM Day, CHM 10/28
[California] Internet Identity Workshop #39 10/29-31
[New Orleans] Hybrid Identity Protection Conference (HIP Conf) 11/13-14
Shared Signals Interop Event at Gartner's IAM Summit 12/9-11
DID UnConf: Africa Postponed to the New year
Hackathon
Decentralized Identity Foundation hackathon kicks off with track focused on travel solutions 2024-10-03 Mitra Sorrells, Phocuswire [Deadline 11/7-17]
Preptember: Amping Up for Hacktoberfest 2024 2024-09-26 Tania Chakraborty; TBD
Register at official site from September 23 - October 31
Contribute to projects with "hacktoberfest" label
Comment ".take" to assign yourself an issue
Every Tuesday (October), Community Office Hours: on Discord for PR reviews and other topics
Extrimian Challenge at the DIF Hackathon 2024 2024-10-03 ; Julieta Cura, Extrimian
Your challenge is to design a secure check-in system for hotels that leverages Verifiable Credentials (VC) issued by the government Challenge details
Join Ontology’s Challenge at the DIF Hackathon 2024 2024-10-02 Ontology
Showcases ONT Login, Ontology's decentralized authentication tool
Known Customer Credential Hackathon 2024-10-02 Angie Jones; TBD
Create Issuer's DID and DWN (optional: use DIF community DWN on Google Cloud)
Issue KCC to Alice with evidence (no real identity verification needed)
Install VC Protocol on Issuer's DWN for communication
Get write permission for Alice's DWN: GET https://vc-to-dwn.tbddev.org/authorize?issuerDid=${issuerDidUri}
Store KCC's VC JWT as private record in Alice's DWN [Challenge]
Standards Development
Operationalizing Trust Frameworks: Who's Going to Keep the Lights On? 2024-09-29; Heather Flanagan; Spherical Cow Consulting Founder
The Funding Crisis in Trust Frameworks
Support for trust framework infrastructure lacking
Federations underfunded and overstretched
Operationalizing trust frameworks requires significant resources
Challenges for federations to require compliance with tangible benefits
NIST SP 800-63 Digital Identity Standard: Updates & What it Means for Passkeys 2024-09-30 fidoalliance.org
Megan Shamas, CMO of the FIDO Alliance, was joined by guests Ryan Galluzzo, Digital Identity Program lead of NIST NCCOE, Teresa Wu, co-chair of the FIDO Alliance Government Deployment Working Group and VP of Smart Credentials at IDEMIA. The panel unpacked the latest changes to the draft and shared what it means for passkeys. slides
OpenID Connect specifications published as ISO standards Mike Jones: self-issued
I’m thrilled to report that the OpenID Connect specifications have now been published as ISO/IEC standards.
Organizations
Dr Carol Buttle joins Kantara Initiative as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) 2024-09-30 kantarainitiative.org
Carol's Role:
Steer industry to improve for individual citizens, particularly vulnerable ones
Ensure Kantara maintains leading role through certification and approval process
Provide guidance on international growth and interoperability across sectors
Empowering a Human-Centric Digital Society: From Ethical Personalisation to Domain Super Apps 2024-10-02 MyData
Ultimate goal: seamless, personalised experience across various customer needs
Shift towards ethical personalisation represents a fundamental change in how brands [youtube, Ecosystem] Decentralized Identity Landscape: Communities, Projects, Technologies, and Tools 2024-10-04 Markus Sabadello [LF Summit Europe]
We will also take a closer look at the underlying technical standards, such as Decentralized Identifiers, Verifiable Credentials, OpenID4VC, and others. Finally, we present examples of concrete applications, services, and software tools that currently exist in this space.and consumers interact in the digital economy
DIF Newsletter #44 2024-10-01 Decentralized Identity Foundation
DIF Member Spotlight:
Moises Jaramillo of Dentity: Discusses journey in decentralized identity and current work with Web3/Web5 and Decentralized Web Nodes. Shares insights into partnership with ENS Labs and advice for hackathon participants.
Nick Lambert, CEO of Dock: Discusses evolution of decentralized identity solutions, Dock's approach to verifiable credentials, potential of reusable KYC and CIAM, use case involving anonymous cyber incident reporting for the University of Arkansas.
[Hyperledger] Cardano’s Prism Becomes Hyperledger Identus: A Decentralized Identity Framework Bitget News
Decentralized identity framework for Cardano products
Backbone for Midnight, RealFi, Lace, and other Cardano products
Government
[EU] A secure and unique digital identity for 448 million? EDIW is set to go mainstream across Europe ThalesGroup
Uses advanced cryptographic methods for encryption of personal data
Includes safety measures to prevent cryptographic keys from being exported outside the wallet
Verified identity of holder must be bound to the wallet app to ensure secure link and prevent unauthorized use
Member states and software providers required to certify every wallet they make available
[youtube] Digital ID: Can governments get citizens on board? 2024-09-24 Global Government Forum
Service improvements achieved through digital ID implementation
Gaining and maintaining public support for digital IDs
Building cross-government systems that can leverage digital ID systems
Bhutan’s NDI System is first to join Global Acceptance Network 2024-10-04; Evie Kim Sing, Identity Week
Darrell O’Donnell [...] said they are creating “nation-scale ecosystems that encompass many smaller ecosystems in the countries they operate in, such as banking, telecom, utilities, and government services”.
European blockchain sandbox onboards 41 regulators in second cohort 2024-10-01 Ezra Reguerra, Cointelegraph
The European Commission has announced the regulators participating in the second cohort of its blockchain sandbox initiative.
On Sept. 30, the European Blockchain Sandbox Initiative (EBSI) said that 41 authorities and regulators from 22 countries in the European Union and European Economic Area have joined the initiative
European Blockchain Sandbox Welcomes 41 New Regulators 2024-10-01 Ruth Okarter, Pro Tech Bro
[EU] IOTA Drives Blockchain Innovation as It Joins European Sandbox Initiative’s Second Cohort 2024-10-01 Godfrey Benjamin, Crypto-news-flash.com
[youtube, education] NGI Sargasso Open Call 1- EBSI-CAN NGI Sargasso
Project Goals:
Facilitate credential validation across European countries
Automate the process without manual intervention or fees
Expand beyond education to other sectors (e.g., property transactions)
[EU, CZ] New digital platform to help businesses finance green transition 2024-09-30 Industrial Ecology [prumyslovaekologie]
"The EBSI will enable businesses to issue bonds and raise capital for their further development. At the same time, it will reduce the cost of issuing bonds, which will help bring new opportunities, ensure greater transparency in securities trade and to simplify supervision by regulators. The digital platform will also allow investors to easily search for bond offerings from different firms" Minister Jozef Síkela, Industry and Trade.
Digital Public Infrastructure
Digital Public Infrastructure is the linchpin of trustworthy data exchange 2024-09-26 Palashendu Bhattacharya; Dhiway
Rapidly prototype and deliver production-ready software at nation-scale for ISVs and SIs
Allows a decentralized and federated approach to data governance, management, and pipelines
Address legacy data silos and interoperability issues
Three ways decentralized identity delivers transformational Digital Public Infrastructure 2024-09-25 Trevor Butterworth; Indicio
Seamless Authentication and Data Sharing
Rescue Biometric Infrastructure from Catastrophic Failure
Decentralized Governance
Research Literature
Wallet wars or digital public infrastructure? Orchestrating a digital identity data ecosystem from a government perspective 2024-12-07 Konrad Degen, Tim Teubner (via Springer)
Orchestration Tensions:
Incorporating framework from Mini & Widjaja (2019)
Organizing tensions: control vs. autonomy, control vs. flexibility
Performing tensions: governance costs vs. co-created value, complexity vs. development costs
Learning tensions: digital debt vs. digital options, existing capability vs. requisite capability
Belonging tensions: old vs. new identity, individual vs. collective
Tensions across dimensions: standard vs. variety, control vs. generativity
Mitigating business and operating model-related tensions for effective governance [pdf]
[Literature] Ethical identity, ring VRFs, and zero-knowledge continuations 2023-01-01 Jeffrey Burdges, Handan Kılınç Alper, Alistair Stewart, Sergey Vasilyev
Introduction of a new cryptographic primitive: ring verifiable random functions (ring VRF)
Ring VRFs provide anonymous credentials and other uses, especially in privacy protection
Fastest amortized ring VRF only requires eight G1 and two G2 scalar multiplications, making it competitive with group signatures
Applications include unique pseudo-nonymous identities for various contexts, anonymously rationing resource consumption.
Explainer
[signatures] Discovering the advantages of digital signatures. 2024-09-25 www.idnow.io
Types of Digital Signatures:
Simple Electronic Signatures (SES): Legal evidence for transactions
Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES): Offer significant legal weight in many jurisdictions
Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES): Provide highest level of legal recognition and security
[privacy] The Importance of Protecting Digital ID Users from “Phone Home” Surveillance 2024-09-25; Wayne Chang; blog.spruceid.com
Privacy Challenges in Digital Systems:
Central server queries for verification create detailed activity logs
Risk of generating a digital trail and potential data breaches
Importance of minimizing privacy risks during remote identity queries
[explainer] Blockchain Case Studies: Verifiable credentials/Digital Identity Kamlesh Nagware
Education: Universities issue digital diplomas and certificates as verifiable credentials, easily shared with employers or institutions.
Government Services: Simplify access to services like voting, social security, healthcare without multiple forms of identification.
Financial Services: Comply with KYC regulations while protecting privacy.
Healthcare: Control medical records and share them securely with healthcare providers.
Travel and Border Control: Simplify cross-border travel by sharing verified credentials with customs and immigration authorities.
[youtube] How Verifiable Credentials solve a key problem for biometric verification 2024-10-01 Indicio
Bring Your Own Biometrics (BYOB) Solution
Capture biometric and create template as before
Instead of storing in database, issue template to user as verifiable credential
Don't keep a copy (except where legally required)
Company Stories
Finema This Month in Digital Identity — October Edition 2024-10-03 Finema
Survivable Credentials: Long-term validity
Legal Risk Mitigation: Reduce regulatory risks
Accreditation: Establish trust standards
Practical Privacy: User control of personal data
My Journey with Sunbird RC: Revolutionizing Registries and Credentials 2024-09-26 Surendrasingh Sucharia; Dhiway
Sunbird RC's Impact and Future Collaboration
Powers Digital Public Goods (DPGs) like DIGIT, Inji, Sunbird Serve, Sunbird ED
Billions of credentials across healthcare and education in India
Offers microservices for credential issuance and management, instantly verifiable offline credentials via printable QR codes
Community has developed about 20 digital solutions called "building blocks" that can be used individually or combined to create larger systems.
The Identity Wallet Distraction: Refocusing on Ironclad Authentication 2024-05-15 Paul Fisher, Kuppinger Cole
Investment in research and development of next-generation authentication methods: Cryptographic proofs, advanced biometrics, behavioral analytics
Foster an ecosystem that supports interoperability and open standards
New industry report highlights Indicio’s masterful innovation in biometric digital identity for travel and hospitality sectors 2024-10-01 Tim Spring, Indicio
Analyst firm Acuity Market Intelligence’s The Prism Project reports that the market for biometric digital identity in travel is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 92% and generate over $72 billion dollars globally by 2028. We take a look at key points from the report
Dhiway: A Journey Rooted in Knowledge and Trust 2024-10-03 Dhiway
The Meaning of "Dhi" (धी):
Sanskrit for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
Central concept in Gayatri Mantra
Symbolizes quest for higher knowledge
Reflects focus on building systems based on truth, transparency, and integrity
Verifiable AI 2024-06-17 Vlad Campos; cheqd
Personal AI Agents: Give AI agents a portable reputation they hold without needing a third party to authenticate them
Localised clustering, compliance and energy: Enhanced sustainability by complying with regulations. Distributed networks are competitive in speed and performance.
Indicio’s claim ‘DTCs offer more digital trust than eIDAS 2.0 and mDL programs’ under the microscope 2024-08-26 Biometric Update
Extension of ICAO 9303 passport standard
Biometric binding to app and device
Scans of chips and liveness comparisons ensure trust
Decentralized Web
The two Fediverses 2024-10-05 Ben Werdmuller
For some, it’s about growth. For others, it’s a movement. They must work together.
Ben Werdmuller's reflections on criticisms of Social Web Foundation (SWF) launch announcement
Three main criticisms: Meta partnership, focus on ActivityPub, growth of Fediverse
How I Built a Super App for Communities with Web5 www.youtube.com
Sandre's project, called Aron, aims to create a platform for communities that combines features of Web2 and Web3.
Addressing issues with current social media platforms
Rediscovering the early web's sense of exploration and user-created content
Providing seamless login across multiple apps
Thoughtful
I Am Not A Robot: The Bank Says So 2024-08-30 Dave Birch, Forbes
Couldn’t someone just tell the social media site, the internet dating app or the online review service that you are actually a person?
Beyond ID
[Series] The latest on the WordPress fight over trademarks and open source 2024-10-04 Emma Roth; The Verge
Matt Mullenweg started a public dispute with the hosting provider WP Engine, calling the company “a cancer to WordPress.” He accused WP Engine of not contributing enough to the WordPress ecosystem and profiting off of trademark confusion. As a result, WP Engine was blocked from accessing WordPress.org’s servers.
[Privacy] Telegram’s Policy Shift: The Need for Decentralization and Stronger Privacy Protections 2024-09-24 Ontology
Centralized platforms can no longer guarantee privacy
Decentralization is crucial to preserving digital freedoms