RE: Which field values of the following are locator DIDs and which are identity DIDs: - DID Document - VC Document - DIDComm Message

This isn’t about embedding/introducing anything fundamentally new.  Both concepts are currently included incurrent  DID Core but not clearly explained from a bullet-proof architecture perspective.  Separating them into separate physical documents is only going to make the coordination/learning problem worse.

We’ll make the change in DID7 EITF draft and see where it goes: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-herman-did7-identifier/


Michael Herman
Chief Digital Architect
Web 7.0 Foundation


From: Amir Hameed <amsaalegal@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2026 10:05 AM
To: Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net>
Cc: Credentials Community Group <public-credentials@w3.org>
Subject: Re: Which field values of the following are locator DIDs and which are identity DIDs: - DID Document - VC Document - DIDComm Message

Michael,

How about if we keep DID Core minimal and focused on identity, while introducing a dedicated URI‑based mechanism for routing and addressing. Embedding locator semantics directly into DID syntax adds unnecessary complexity and would likely require broad changes across the ecosystem. A layered approach enables addressing systems to evolve independently without impacting core identity specifications. Furthermore, in standard URI processing, fragments are strictly client‑side and not part of the resource resolution process, which makes them unsuitable for defining network‑level locator semantics.

Regards
Amir Hameed


On Mon, 30 Mar 2026 at 9:08 PM, Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net<mailto:mwherman@parallelspace.net>> wrote:
Locator DIDs are used to locate/retrieve things: VC documents, DID documents, ...

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________________________________
From: Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net<mailto:mwherman@parallelspace.net>>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2026 9:33:29 AM
To: Amir Hameed <amsaalegal@gmail.com<mailto:amsaalegal@gmail.com>>

Cc: Credentials Community Group <public-credentials@w3.org<mailto:public-credentials@w3.org>>
Subject: Re: Which field values of the following are locator DIDs and which are identity DIDs: - DID Document - VC Document - DIDComm Message

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________________________________
From: Amir Hameed <amsaalegal@gmail.com<mailto:amsaalegal@gmail.com>>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2026 9:11:08 AM
To: Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net<mailto:mwherman@parallelspace.net>>
Cc: Credentials Community Group <public-credentials@w3.org<mailto:public-credentials@w3.org>>
Subject: Re: Which field values of the following are locator DIDs and which are identity DIDs: - DID Document - VC Document - DIDComm Message

What is a locator DID?

On Mon, 30 Mar 2026 at 8:37 PM, Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net<mailto:mwherman@parallelspace.net>> wrote:
Checkout: https://claude.ai/share/9a791ae5-2d6c-4ca5-8dfc-c5b85dc51fe7


One convention Web 7.0 is looking at adopting is:

  1.  A DID without a fragment is an Identity DID

  1.  A DID with a fragment is a Locator DID

  1.  A DID with an empty-string fragment forces a DID to be a Locator DID
This makes DID typing concrete/structural/robust. Check the above link for where Identity vs. Locator DIDs are used in DID Docs, VCs, and DIDComm Messages (in Web 7.0).

Michael Herman
Chief Digital Officer
Web 7.0 Foundation

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