Report on DIDs from W3C TPAC 2017 (was: Re: [AGENDA] W3C Credentials CG Call Tue, November 14th 12 ET)

On 11/12/2017 12:07 AM, Christopher Allen wrote:
> TL;DR: Update and catch up everyone on current DID thoughts

(bcc: VCWG and DVCG)

A number of us have a conflict for the CCG call tomorrow, but I wanted
to provide a brief report out from the W3C Technical Plenary 2017 on
Decentralized Identifiers.

We led a breakout session on the Self Sovereign Web on Wednesday[1] at
11am PT (picture attached). It was very well attended, you expect around
15-20 people at these sorts of things... we had a total of 45 people
throughout the hour including folks from Apple, Google, IBM, Deutsche
Telekom, AirBnB, UK Government, BBC, and W3C staff among many others.
Strong interest. Minutes available publicly[2].

While the break out was about how Web Payments, Verifiable Claims, DIDs,
and the Credential Handler API come together to create a web where we
(the people that use the Web) have more control, the discussion focused
mainly on DIDs.

I also gave a lightning talk at the W3C Advisory Committee (AC) meeting.
The AC are the 460+ people that have voting power for their
organizations at W3C, around 250+ were in the room. The presentation
still needs work, but the AC seemed to get the general point. Minutes
available for W3C Members only[3]. While I can't go into any specifics
in that particular meeting, I can say that there was overwhelming
support in bringing DIDs into W3C from the people that are responsible
for Web Architecture (the W3C Technical Architecture Group).

Separately, I spoke with Tim Berners-Lee about our work and he was very
supportive on getting broader review and moving the work into W3C if it
was a good fit (which it is, since we're talking about a new type of URL
that the Web could use).

What we didn't know before W3C TPAC 2017 was whether or not the
membership would reject DIDs. We now know that there is strong interest
in doing a thorough review with the expectation that if the reviews from
the TAG go well, we'll be well positioned to do the work at W3C.

Our next steps with the DID spec seem to be (in order):

1. Update DID spec to latest post-RWoT and post-IIW versions.
2. Clean up and publish the DID Primer.
3. Create a DID Use Cases document.
4. Deploy at least one or more implementations that the W3C TAG and
   others can look at.
5. Request TAG review of the DID primer, use cases, and spec.
6. If there is TAG support, draft a charter or include DIDs in an
   existing WG rechartering.

-- manu

[1]
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1woq0pZD872NvhBIu90GIZMf8MQLWCtXM1NCx8n6s0VM/edit?usp=sharing
[2] https://www.w3.org/2017/11/10-ssweb-minutes.html
[3] https://www.w3.org/2017/11/09-ac-minutes.html#item06
[4] https://www.w3.org/2017/11/09-ac-minutes.html#item07

-- 
Manu Sporny (skype: msporny, twitter: manusporny, G+: +Manu Sporny)
Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
blog: The State of W3C Web Payments in 2017
http://manu.sporny.org/2017/w3c-web-payments/