Re: Is Decentralized Identity/Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) the killer application for blockchain/DLT?

>
> “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents
> and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents
> eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”


This reminds me of a quote from R. Buckminster Fuller that I like very much:


*“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.To change
something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” *

I think that accurately describes the nature of *disruption..*. In my
opinion SSID can't be seen as a "killer app" because it's much more than an
app, it's a paradigm (built over a set of interconnected platforms) in
which blockhain technology is a key component at this point. "Killer apps"
will be built *on top* of SSID platforms, and these are what will give
"life" to SSID (and its underlying technologies) through empowering
individuals and organizations with regard to identity ownership. Once *identity
owners* are empowered through self-sovereign applications, the current
systems that operate around identity will have no choice but to adopt,
adapt and contribute. This is not too different from the role of
cryptocurrency in the context of financial activity. This "adaptation" is a
process, though, quite unlikely to happen abruptly.

SSID in itself is a concept and a paradigm, sort of a "meta-app" so to
speak, no one will "buy" it as such. Yet it's a recognized necessity on the
digital world, and IMO its "essence" will remain even if its underlying
technology shifts from blockchain to a different (probably more efficient)
thing. What seems to matter is decentralization, immutability and sound
cryptographic proof mechanisms. Presently, DLT is the most obvious answer
to our implementation needs, and surely this might not be the case forever.
In any case, the need for things like decentralized identity (along with
decentralized money, etc.) will remain regardless of the technical paradigm
that sustains them... Blockchain is an opening gate to a conceptual space
of empowerment through decentralization and trust in mathematics *in lieu*
of authorities, and this "space" is what is "alive", it can (and most
probably will) take many shapes in the future, but there's still *much* to
learn and do on its current "presentation".

On Mon, Nov 19, 2018 at 3:26 AM Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com>
wrote:

> On 11/18/18 1:58 PM, Steven Rowat wrote:
> > Then minor changes in it can be made to accommodate existing
> > systems, to the degree that's possible.
>
> Excellent point, Steven. I agree with your correction.
>
> -- manu
>
> --
> Manu Sporny (skype: msporny, twitter: manusporny, G+: +Manu Sporny)
> Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
> blog: Veres One Decentralized Identifier Blockchain Launches
> https://tinyurl.com/veres-one-launches
>
>
>