Re: OpenAttestation (was Re: looking for a specific use-case)

We used to collab with GovTech and Accredify for a short time to explore OpenCerts about a year ago. It’s a cool solution dedicated to easily verify certificates and also render them using the template of the issuing party. At that time they did have a centralized registry (https://docs.opencerts.io/docs/registry) but also the possibility to verify using DNS. We did see that there was no mechanism in place to verify the presenter (like we have signature proofs bound to CredentialSubject id), since they assume you’d identify yourself on the actual job interview for example. Also we found some GDPR complications; The OpenCerts can be issued in batches, results into one student having an OpenCert file containing hashes of other OpenCerts. Whilst it is very unlikely to reverse engineer the hash due to the salts, our government still treats it as personal data, even if it’s hashed. And we don’t have legal grounds to process those..

Kind regards,
Marnix van den Bent

+31 88 72 19312



Van: Steve Capell <steve.capell@gmail.com>
Datum: maandag 21 december 2020 om 16:21
Aan: Bill Claxton <williamc@itr8.com>
CC: Arshad Noor <arshad.noor@strongkey.com>, "W3C Credentials CG (Public List)" <public-credentials@w3.org>
Onderwerp: Re: OpenAttestation (was Re: looking for a specific use-case)
Opnieuw verzenden - Van: <public-credentials@w3.org>
Opnieuw verzenden - Datum: maandag 21 december 2020 om 16:19

Interesting article bill

May well be correct for the use case you describe of Singapore’s education system.  But I think it needs to be updated to reflect current state for our cross border use:
- you talk about a central register of approved issuers, but there is no managed register of issuer identities.  The issuer ID is linked to their DNS.  abf.gov.au for example, which obviously needed no approval from Singapore
- you say that the certificate is stored in free text, but actually it is symmetrically encrypted using a one time password

One interesting question is how the subject (not the issuer) is identified.  Not a DID. Actually just a public domain identifier like a business registration number. I guess this is one of the core differences between open attestation and VCs.  I think this goes to the use case for tyres things in international trade. Unlike a VC style bearer token where the presenter is almost always the subject, these are rather more transactional credentials (eg a certificate of origin about a consignment of goods from an exporter) where the presenter is often (usually) not the subject.  Eg a certificate of origin pathway is issuer (chamber) -> subject (exporter) -> freight forwarder -> importer -> customs broker -> verifier (importing customs agent).  I don’t know (but willing to learn) how you’d practically make this work if each party in the chain needed to verify DIDs

Cheers

Steven Capell
Mob: 0410 437854


On 21 Dec 2020, at 11:26 pm, Bill Claxton <williamc@itr8.com> wrote:
Arshad,

OpenAttestation was an underlying component of OpenCerts.  You may find this paper<https://github.com/WebOfTrustInfo/rwot9-prague/blob/master/topics-and-advance-readings/Decentralising%20OpenCerts%20v2.md> that I co-wrote provides some history and establishes the rationale for creating it, and why we felt that many governments would do the same thing.  A lot of the recommendations in that paper have since been implemented and, as Steve said, there are plans to better align with the VC data model and use of DIDs.

The main page for OpenCerts<http://opencerts.io/> uses an .io top level domain.  Not sure about the choice of .com over .org for OpenAttestations.
Regards, Bill Claxton (williamc@itr8.com<mailto:williamc@itr8.com>)
Facebook, Skype, MSN, Yahoo, Twitter, Flickr or Gmail: wmclaxton
Voice, Text or Whatsapp: +65-9012-4327
On 12/21/2020 9:45 AM, Arshad Noor wrote:
I'm not sure I understand Steve.

The home page says "OpenAttestation is an open-sourced framework to notarise documents using the blockchain." But, I don't see any white-paper anywhere on:

- The business problem it solves; or
- Why existing schemes/technology do not solve the problem that necessitates the use of a new framework.

Does such a white-paper exist?

Thanks.

Arshad

P.S. Curious that an "open" framework would choose to publish its content on a commercial .com domain rather than the traditional top level domain for open-source projects: .org.


On 12/19/20 1:59 PM, Steve Capell wrote:

https://www.openattestation.com/ <https://www.openattestation.com/><https://www.openattestation.com/>

Used by

https://www.tradetrust.io/ <https://www.tradetrust.io/><https://www.tradetrust.io/> (A Singapore government site)

And by

https://igl.trade.np.cp1.abf.gov.au/ <https://igl.trade.np.cp1.abf.gov.au/><https://igl.trade.np.cp1.abf.gov.au/> (Au government - beta trial only)

Part of a UN collaboration described here https://uncefact.unece.org/pages/viewpage.action?mobileBypass=true&spaceKey=uncefactpublic&title=Cross+border+Inter-ledger+exchange+for+Preferential+CoO+using+Blockchain <https://uncefact.unece.org/pages/viewpage.action?mobileBypass=true&spaceKey=uncefactpublic&title=Cross+border+Inter-ledger+exchange+for+Preferential+CoO+using+Blockchain><https://uncefact.unece.org/pages/viewpage.action?mobileBypass=true&spaceKey=uncefactpublic&title=Cross+border+Inter-ledger+exchange+for+Preferential+CoO+using+Blockchain>



Steven Capell
Mob: 0410 437854


On 19 Dec 2020, at 11:51 pm, Arshad Noor <arshad.noor@strongkey.com><mailto:arshad.noor@strongkey.com> wrote:

What is this protocol, Steve? A search does not identify the protocol uniquely: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=singapore+open+attestation+protocol&ia=web


Thanks.

Arshad Noor
StrongKey

On 12/19/20 4:25 AM, Steve Capell wrote:

In our international trade domain I can’t think of a use case where we don’t need notarised and revocable credentials - things that don’t get much of a mention in the w3c specs.  It’s why we use the Singapore open attestation protocol
Steven Capell



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