Re: Indexing/searching a corpus of (decentralized) self-sovereign data

Hey Leonard!

> how do you reference a decentralized object (e.g. something on a DLT)

There is a little prior art for cross-chain/multi-chain indexing and addressing at CASA:
https://chainagnostic.org/CAIPs/caip-19

I know that Sebastian from https://iscc.codes/ and others in Europe have been building on CASA standards for exactly the kind of multi-chain indexing usecases I would imagine you're thinking about.

As for IPFS, the broader Protocol Labs archipelago of companies and [mostly open-source] codebases includes many building blocks and approaches to this point. For example, in response to the limitations of ipfs:// as a protocol (that many contexts cannot trust), the IPFS community upgraded the "ipfs URL" as we know it, the [Content Identifier has been upgraded](https://docs.ipfs.tech/how-to/best-practices-for-ipfs-builders/#use-cidv1-for-future-proof-addressing-and-case-insenstive-contexts) to a case-insensitive and prefixed new version, which enables IPFS gateways to deliver them over https:// for those use-cases where a specific IPFS gateway operator is easier to allow-list (and trust) than ipfs:// qua protocol. (Shout out to Markus' DNSlink spec at IETF!). Depending how far into the IPFS weeds you want to go, there are many options, and companies like Ceramic, DAG-Haus, and Web3.storage are trying to advance and popularize IPLD as a way of tracking decentralized data across contexts.

As for DID URLs, big up to Cheqd team and Markus for picking that back up, looking forward to more progress there for all these use-cases!

Thanks,
__juan

On 11/15/2022 9:35 PM, Leonard Rosenthol wrote:

> It’s not unlike a problem that we are trying to reconcile in C2PA – how do you reference a decentralized object (e.g. something on a DLT)? There is no standardize mechanism for referencing – ala a URL. At least for IPFS, they standardized a model for “proxying” so that you can use an `ipfs://` URL.
>
> DIDs, and the DID Method registry, are something for identities – but that doesn’t help for all the myriad of other things that can live on a DLT.
>
> Hope this conversation can include that as well.
>
> Leonard
>
> From: Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) [<mwherman@parallelspace.net>](mailto:mwherman@parallelspace.net)
> Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 2:22 PM
> To: public-credentials (public-credentials@w3.org) [<public-credentials@w3.org>](mailto:public-credentials@w3.org)
> Subject: Indexing/searching a corpus of (decentralized) self-sovereign data
>
> EXTERNAL: Use caution when clicking on links or opening attachments.
>
> As I started to think about this, it turns out that it is not a straightforward problem (and hence, neither is the solution).
>
> Is anyone aware of any previous discussions on this topic, articles, papers, etc. that analyze this problem and, perhaps, characterize what a solution might look like?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Michael
>
> Best regards,
>
> Michael Herman
>
> Far Left Self-Sovereignist
>
> First Principles Thinker
>
> Self-Sovereign Blockchain Architect
>
> Trusted Digital Web
>
> Hyperonomy Digital Identity Lab
>
> Parallelspace Corporation

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Juan Caballero, PhD. [Freelance](https://learningproof.xyz) Identity Researcher & Community Manager Berlin-based: +49 one573 59945two5 Signal/whatsapp: +1 4one5-310135one