Re: Verifiable Claims Task Force Summary of Concerns

> On Dec 1, 2015, at 20:54 , Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> It's very hard to prove things about yourself on the Web in an
> interoperable way today. Why doesn't that fall into W3C's purview?
> 
> For example, it's easier to prove that I have a valid US passport in
> person than it is via the Web. Isn't that a shortcoming of the Web platform?

It’s a shortcoming of electronic communications. For lots of these things, you have to turn up in person (quite a few US states forbid online alcohol sales for exactly this reason, IIRC).

> 
>> I also happen to think it’s rather hard (since in effect, you end up 
>> having to say “well, Z supports my claim Y” - e.g. my driving
>> license supports my claimed birth-date, and then you have to get 
>> organizations Z willing to support individuals’ claims).
> 
> The current proposals don't work that way. Rather, organization Z says
> something (a verifiable claim) about an entity A. Entity A can then take
> that claim and present it to entity B, and as long as entity B trusts
> organization Z, it can trust that verifiable claim (assuming Entity A
> can prove that they are Entity A and there is some sort of crypto on the
> verifiable claim).

That’s what I said. Here, look, Z (and you can confirm it’s Z, because of something like a digital signature) is willing to assert my (I am A) claim Y is true to the best of their knowledge.

B now decides whether to trust Z’s claim about A.

David Singer
Manager, Software Standards, Apple Inc.

Received on Wednesday, 2 December 2015 19:00:53 UTC