Re: Verifiable Data Registries

Thanks Drummond.

A further question, and it does come down to trust layers, are there ‘mechanical’ characteristics that are considered essential in order for the system to be a VDR?  Or, being intentionally extreme, could a public google drive be a VDR?

Michael S.

> On May 31, 2020, at 12:09 AM, Drummond Reed <drummond.reed@evernym.com> wrote:
> 
> On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 10:30 AM MXS Insights <mxsinsights@gmail.com <mailto:mxsinsights@gmail.com>> wrote:
> I’ve been going through the recent DID's Editor’s Draft and a question came to mind on what the characteristics of a Verifiable Data Registry are.  So, I started looking through the VC spec and Data Model and find similar language across all the different spec’s, data models,...
> 
> A role a system might perform by mediating the creation and verification <https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model/#dfn-verify> of identifiers, keys, and other relevant data, such as verifiable credential <https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model/#dfn-verifiable-credentials> schemas, revocation registries, issuer public keys, and so on, which might be required to use verifiable credentials <https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model/#dfn-verifiable-credentials>. Some configurations might require correlatable identifiers for subjects <https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model/#dfn-subjects>. Example verifiable data registries include trusted databases, decentralized databases, government ID databases, and distributed ledgers. Often there is more than one type of verifiable data registry utilized in an ecosystem.           
> 
> From: VC Data Model
> 
> The question that came to mind, is there a more definitive definition of what a Verifiable Data Registry is?  What characteristics must it have?  Usually, i have been equating it to a DLT, but I know that I have heard conversations indicating that it specifically was not restricted to this technology.
> 
> Michael, a verifiable data registry is definitely not limited to being a DLT. I am currently working on a definition of the term for section 2 (Terminology) of the DID spec, since we made decision to switch from DID Registry (which has always been a very confusing term in the context of DIDs) to Verifiable Data Registry so that we are in fact using the same term as was used in the Verifiable Credentials Data Model 1.0 spec.
> 
> The short answer is that a VDR can be any system for which: a) a developer wants to develop and publish a DID method, and b) verifiers will trust as a cryptographic root of trust for the DIDs or other verifiable data rooted there.
> 
> It's that simple. Literally any system can serve as a VDR, including P2P networks that have nothing to do with DLTs or databases at all.
> 
> =Drummond 
>  
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> Michael Shea.