Re: [AGENDA] W3C Credentials CG Call Tue, November 20th, 12 noon EST, 9 AM PST

Not sure if this helps, but when I’m asked about DIDs, I describe them as cryptographic secure identifiers that act as Trust Anchors for a Digital Identity. The analog equivalent is the birth certificate, another (less secure) but important Trust Anchor. Just as a birth certificate is required to get a student ID, a driver license, or a passport, all real world identities flow from this anchor. 

DIDs allow use to create independent digital identities and empower people with personal agency over their digital  identies. We ensure the security and integrity of the DID by registering it on a public blockchain. 

Trust Anchors are the source of truth for all that is attached to them. Without them, we are dependent on the usual silos, Facebook et al., to provide our identity. 

 
John Toohey
CEO & Co-Founder



> On Nov 16, 2018, at 13:54, Christopher Allen <ChristopherA@LifeWithAlacrity.com> wrote:
> 
> On Fri, Nov 16, 2018 at 10:40 AM Joe Andrieu <joe@legreq.com <mailto:joe@legreq.com>> wrote:
> TL;DR: Pain points resolved by DIDs
>  
> Pre-DID Pain Points (30 min)
> 
> Regarding our discussion Tuesday on Pre-DID Pain Points, a better description might be what are the unsolved centralized, CA or federated identifier problems that are adressed by DIDs now that they are possible.
> 
> Based on discussions with the W3C TAG (Technical Advisory Group) we've not adequately explained why we need decentralized identifiers at all. We need to answer this more effectively and integrate it into the next version of the DID Primer. 
> We found ourselves struggling to work out what use cases you are trying to support. What is the user need? When would I need a DID, and what would I do with it? It would be useful for our review if you would produce an explainer. (We've produced a template https://github.com/w3ctag/w3ctag.github.io/blob/master/explainers.md <https://github.com/w3ctag/w3ctag.github.io/blob/master/explainers.md> , which might be useful).
> We didn't find those answers in your primer, since it starts from the explanation of what a DID is. We would really like to understand the need from a user's perspective, which already exists in daily life, written in clear non-technical language.
> 
> It would also be useful if everyone could read the current DID Primer and think about what else is missing.
> 
> Our goal is to complete this before the W3C Workshop on Strong Authentication & Identity on December 10th and 11th in  Redmond, WA. https://www.w3.org/Security/strong-authentication-and-identity-workshop/ <https://www.w3.org/Security/strong-authentication-and-identity-workshop/>
> 
> BTW, the deadline for registration AND sending a position statement is today, so if you want to go and help us there and haven't registered yet, do so today!
> 
> -- Christopher Allen