- From: Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com>
- Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2022 14:19:44 -0400
- To: "public-credentials@w3.org" <public-credentials@w3.org>
On 4/3/22 2:06 PM, Brian Richter wrote: > Manu, can you define "mediators" in this discussion? Yes, we need to find a better term... even "wallet mediator" isn't descriptive enough. A "mediator", as used in CHAPI, is a piece of software that enables a Holder to choose which "digital wallet" they want to use for a particular transaction. This is in stark contrast to how social login works today, where you are typically only given 3-4 fixed/centralized choices: Login with Google/Apple/Microsoft/Facebook A mediator typically supports registration, selection, and deregistration. It also has other properties, like preventing an Issuer or a Verifier from discovering what Wallet the Holder is using (one strategy for preserving a competitive ecosystem). A mediator is what enables digital wallet choice in the SSI ecosystem when you want to invoke a digital wallet, regardless of whether it is a web app or a native app, on the same device (such as your laptop). A mediator is agnostic to the messages flowing over the communication channel. At present, CHAPI is used in the Verifiable Credentials ecosystem to select a wallet provider. It could also be used to select from among your OIDC providers. > In Aries / DIDComm land this term is used for agents that route messages > to agents that are often offline however I suspect you are using it in a > different way. The meaning in CHAPI is slightly different. CHAPI is used to route messages to agents without a consideration to whether or not they're offline (e.g., CHAPI can work in both offline and online scenarios since it's purely client-side technology that lives in the browser). Does that help, Brian? -- manu -- Manu Sporny - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manusporny/ Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc. News: Digital Bazaar Announces New Case Studies (2021) https://www.digitalbazaar.com/
Received on Sunday, 3 April 2022 18:20:00 UTC