[PROPOSED WORK ITEM] CEL DID Method (did:cel) #255
Description
did:cel Work Item Proposal
This is a proposal for a new CCG work item for the did:cel Decentralized Identifier Method.
Abstract
Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) are a type of identifier for verifiable, decentralized digital identity. These identifiers are designed to enable the controller of a DID to prove control over the identifier in a way that is independent of any centralized registry, identity provider, or certificate authority. These sorts of identifiers often utilize a heavy-weight registry, such as ones utilizing Decentralized Ledger Technologies (DLT), to create, read, update, and deactivate DIDs. This specification describes a witness-based DID Method where each DID Document's history is contained in a cryptographic event log where each event is witnessed by one or more trusted entities. The approach avoids the need for complex decentralized consensus algorithms as well as expensive proof-of-work or proof-of-stake systems.
Owners
@msporny @sirraya-tech @Wind4Greg @longpd
Work Item Questions
- Explain what you are trying to do using no jargon or acronyms.
We are trying to create a minimum viable, easy to implement, fully decentralized DID Method with a minimal security attack surface.
- How is it done today, and what are the limits of the current practice?
There are currently no fully decentralized DID Methods that have achieved broad acceptance due to their dependence on complex infrastructure, such as blockchains.
- What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
This DID Method focuses on minimal dependence on complex infrastructure and a minimal feature set to ensure that it is easy to implement, easy to deploy at a global scale, easy to perform a security analysis on, is cost effective to deploy locally and globally.
- How are you involving participants from multiple skill sets and global locations in this work item? (Skill sets: technical, design, product, marketing, anthropological, and UX. Global locations: the Americas, APAC, Europe, Middle East.)
We are doing the work in the CCG which has involvement from participants from around the globe.
- What actions are you taking to make this work item accessible to a non-technical audience?
We are endeavoring to make sure that the introduction of the specification is easy for people without a technical background to understand. We also plan to provide a higher-level explainer that attempts to explain why a non-technical person might want to use did:cel identifiers over other types of identifiers.