Musings around DID namespaces, SSI vs SAI (self-administered identity), DID specs main purpose

Hi all,

Last RWOT got me thinking about a few interesting concepts around DID namespaces. I meant to write this email right after the conference, but due to the complexity of the topic and the lack of time, I'm writing only now and in very a peculiar succinct way (bear with me). I am sharing my thoughts in the form of sequence of key terms, instead of usual long descriptive explanation. Hope, this way to convey thoughts will be easy to understand for CCG folks.

These are my current musings and questions, that I have about DID problem space. I hope they will help others to understand it better, start interesting discussions. Apologizes, if the below is not understandable, please let me know if you'd like to have descriptive explanation of any of the concepts below.


*Thought Train: (ordered sequence of key concepts)* 
Zooko's triangle is misunderstood :: "vanity" DIDs are possible :: DID namespaces are possible :: "vanity" DID namespaces are possible :: name grab is possible :: the need for reserved DID namespaces? :: ISO country codes :: national ID systems :: "SSN" (social security number) DID method :: main use case for DID specs - Is it all about making possible "SSN DID method"? :: If yes, let's not confuse people with using "sovereignty" term and instead use SAI (Self-Administered Identity) :: from another side SSI concept is needed for things like The United Humans, pairwise anonymous identities, ledgerless identities. 

*Outcomes/Questions*
 - did:us:ssn:123-00-4567 - possible? needed? meant to be?
 - Is attaching Pr/Pub keys to your SSN (national id) the main driving force behind work on DID spec?
 - Do we need to reserve DID namespaces?
 - Maybe better use SAI (Self-Administered Identity) instead of SSI? 

--Bohdan

Received on Sunday, 14 April 2019 14:50:48 UTC