Re: did:cel - a cryptographic event log-based DID Method

*Hi Manu,*

Quite interesting to see a new did method. Thanks for sharing. There are a
few things I would like to ask about from my read of the did:cel method
spec:

From the intro:
>Witness and file storage services are abundant, easy to operate at scale

Which types of storage services do you have in mind? Because from what I
have seen with things like IPFS is that you end up needing to provide your
own server to make sure files are "pinned" and not lost. The best way to
make sure IPFS works is by either having a server of your own or paying a
service that will keep your files pinned (at which point I wonder why you
would not just use a blockchain to pay for your changes to be recorded to
the VDR?).

From section 3, Witness Services:
>  Unlike centralized timestamp authorities or blockchain validators,
witnesses operate autonomously without controlling or storing the DIDs they
attest to

Can you explain why using blockchain nodes / validators would restrict you
or control your DIDs? In the case of a public blockchain, even if, say
there was a malicious blockchain node that selectively filters out certain
transactions (based on some arbitrary censorship criteria) your transaction
could still likely be processed by another node that does not follow that
censorship criteria; a public blockchain is permissionless after all.

From section 6.1 Witness Collusion and Compromise
> To mitigate witness collusion risks, implementers are encouraged to
select witnesses operated by independent entities with diverse operational
and jurisdictional characteristics

Could you suggest what would be the economical or other type of incentives
that would motivate an organization make a witness server available? I have
often wondered how proponents of did:keri and similar methods like to claim
that they do not need to use a blockchain VDR, but instead they swap out
the blockchain VDR with a network of witnesses that need to exist and it's
not always clear what would motivate entities or organizations to make such
infrastructure available. In public blockchains it is a bit more clear to
me, because there is an associated transaction fee that you pay for
submitting transactions to the VDR such that they are recorded.

Thank you,

Otto Mora


On Mon, Dec 8, 2025 at 9:57 AM Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com>
wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> The DID Methods WG Charter is going up for a W3C Member vote soon and
> one of the DID Method types it contemplates standardizing is a fully
> decentralized DID Method. The Cryptographic Event Log[1] was adopted
> as a Credentials CG work item earlier this year, is listed in the new
> DID Methods WG charter, and hinted at a DID Method that was powered by
> the technology.
>
> This email is to introduce did:cel, a fully decentralized,
> cryptographic event log-based DID Method:
>
> https://digitalbazaar.github.io/did-cel-spec/
>
> The goals of this DID Method are:
>
> Minimal Infrastructure - A single individual with a file hosting
> location can create and control multiple DIDs in a way that the
> identifiers are highly-available and globally recognized.
>
> Near-zero Cost - The cost to create and control multiple DIDs is not
> burdensome to at least 70% of the world's population, which are the
> number of people that have access to the Internet as of 2025.
>
> Censorship and Coercion Resistant - The oblivious witness and file
> storage services used to manage a DID cannot censor or coerce an
> individual or organization to any significant degree.
>
> No Centralization - Witness and file storage services are abundant,
> easy to operate at scale, and are easily interchangeable if they
> become non-responsive or compromised.
>
> Over the years, there are many of us that have invested in DLT-based
> DID Methods and have not seen their usage grow at the rate we would
> wish. There are a number of reasons for this, but many of them boil
> down to implementation and operational complexity as well as
> significant infrastructure and transaction costs. The did:cel DID
> method focuses on reducing each of those costs as much as possible.
>
> Please take a look at the spec and let us know what you think. Raise
> issues here if you find anything of concern:
>
> https://github.com/digitalbazaar/did-cel-spec/issues
>
> We are currently looking for support and co-editors for this work item
> in the W3C CCG and will raise an issue to call for adoption once we
> have a week or two of discussion on this mailing list. If you are
> supportive of this work, please let us know via the mailing list.
> Happy to answer questions and concerns in the meantime. :)
>
> -- manu
>
> [1] https://w3c-ccg.github.io/cel-spec/
>
> --
> Manu Sporny - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manusporny/
> Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
> https://www.digitalbazaar.com/
>
>