I believe in human dignity over system efficiency, consent over coercion, agency over control.

That's the thread connecting everything I do — from co-authoring the TLS standard that secures web commerce, to writing the 10 Principles of Self-Sovereign Identity, to testifying before legislators about why your private keys deserve legal protection.

My work operates on two interdependent tracks: pragmatic policy engagement (working with governments and standards bodies to improve existing systems) and radical technological alternatives (building infrastructure that doesn't require permission or institutional trust). I see these as complementary approaches in an ecology of change — inside reformers create space for outside radicals, while bridge-builders prepare paths for fundamental transformation.

On the policy side, I've helped pass Wyoming's identity definition law and private key protection law, and I'm currently advising on Switzerland's e-ID implementation. On the technology side, I founded Rebooting the Web of Trust and lead Blockchain Commons, building open infrastructure for digital autonomy. In standards bodies like the W3C and IETF, I represent the voices that often get drowned out when large vendors dominate.

Right now, I'm focused on #RevisitingSSI — a year-long effort to revisit and refine the original SSI principles for their 10th anniversary in April 2026. We're bringing together technologists, lawyers, advocates, and academics to wrestle with hard questions: What did we get right? What did we miss? What must change for the next decade?

This work doesn't have a business model. It has patrons — people who believe that human dignity in digital systems is worth fighting for. When you sponsor me, you're not buying a product. You're joining a movement and making it possible for me to keep doing this work independently, without corporate conflicts or institutional constraints.

More about my design philosophy: How My Values Inform Design