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I may be suffering from a deficiency of reading comprehension. Can someone please explain to me in plain terms what a DID is and what it's for? It's a "globally

I may be suffering from a deficiency of reading comprehension. Can someone please explain to me in plain terms what a DID is and what it's for? It's a "globally unique persistent identifier that does not require a centralized registration authority"[1] - great, an identifier for what exactly? Is it just supposed to be an identifier for anything at all? Local and remote resources? People? Pokemon cards? [1] https://www.w3.org/TR/did-core/#terminology https://www.w3.org/TR/did-core/#terminology

deleted 4y ago
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duskwuff 4y ago
It's an attempt to put a "standards-compliant" veneer of legitimacy on "Web 3.0" blockchain nonsense. The list of supported methods at https://www.w3.org/TR/did-spec-registries/#did-methods https://www.w3.org/TR/did-spec-registries/#did-methods should make clear who this is really for.
- outsomnia 4y ago
  Baidu's did is literally "ccp:" ...
- canadaduane 4y ago
  I think this is an unfair generalization. The core of the DID spec was developed by the folks at the Internet Identity Workshop, who have been discussing identity far longer than blockchain even existed. Some of their members (e.g. Sovrin, Evernym) only very reluctantly included blockchain as a piece of the solution, and only then when they saw how certain aspects of blockchain were desirable for credentials and revocations without a central, controlling cabal. Using Sovrin as an example, they did not create a token sale, NFT, or defi anything, which I think speaks volumes about their motives. Instead, they created a non-profit that was funded through traditional means. IMO some of these founding members are legitimately trying to solve the very difficult problem of digital identity (including privacy, decentralization, and compatibility).
- bogwog 4y ago
  Here's a real world example of an identifier for a meme I just made using one of the linked sites in that table: https://didme.me/did:meme:1zgs0ue8me4gt3ls5uvq87n7v7ykhrvr50xhax76d6cdt2m9l2plc9jqmeg8n6 https://didme.me/did:meme:1zgs0ue8me4gt3ls5uvq87n7v7ykhrvr50... On the one hand, it seems like this is going to be (and/or is currently being) used by NFT peddlers, but on the other hand it's not like we'll be seeing less NFTs and cryptocurrency garbage if this spec dies. However, I also can't think of any interesting use-cases for this that don't involve cryptocurrency/NFT garbage. Some of the example use-cases seem range from being consumer rights and privacy nightmares, to being just uninteresting ideas that can be implemented without DID. The Transferable Skills Credentials[1] case for example seems to be trying to make a case for adding an NFT/minting schemes as a middle-man for certification programs. What value could that possibly add? Certification programs are centralized by design, so the only "gain" would be that the certification authority doesn't need to maintain a database of the certifications it gives out...or something like that? Also the "Cross-platform User-driven Sharing"[2] one reads like some sovereign citizen wet dream (in semi-broken English). Franklyn is a military war veteran with two young daughters and he is very concerned about protecting their privacy online, so he writes HIS OWN terms of service that companies need to agree with if they want to do business with him. After a long probationary period, he decides to share more information with services (like a shopping list!), but he keeps his finger on the trigger at all times (the delete my DID button) in case the company gets any ideas. I didn't realize the W3C had become such a clown show. 1: https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#vcEcosystem https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#vcEcosystem 2: https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#crossPlatform https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#crossPlatform
semiquaver 4y ago
See https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#onlineShopper https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#onlineShopper It's blockchain bullshit that you can ignore.
- xeromal 4y ago
  OMG, their example is pretty much an NFT.

deleted 4y ago

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duskwuff 4y ago

It's an attempt to put a "standards-compliant" veneer of legitimacy on "Web 3.0" blockchain nonsense. The list of supported methods at https://www.w3.org/TR/did-spec-registries/#did-methods https://www.w3.org/TR/did-spec-registries/#did-methods should make clear who this is really for.

outsomnia 4y ago
Baidu's did is literally "ccp:" ...
canadaduane 4y ago
I think this is an unfair generalization. The core of the DID spec was developed by the folks at the Internet Identity Workshop, who have been discussing identity far longer than blockchain even existed. Some of their members (e.g. Sovrin, Evernym) only very reluctantly included blockchain as a piece of the solution, and only then when they saw how certain aspects of blockchain were desirable for credentials and revocations without a central, controlling cabal. Using Sovrin as an example, they did not create a token sale, NFT, or defi anything, which I think speaks volumes about their motives. Instead, they created a non-profit that was funded through traditional means. IMO some of these founding members are legitimately trying to solve the very difficult problem of digital identity (including privacy, decentralization, and compatibility).
bogwog 4y ago
Here's a real world example of an identifier for a meme I just made using one of the linked sites in that table: https://didme.me/did:meme:1zgs0ue8me4gt3ls5uvq87n7v7ykhrvr50xhax76d6cdt2m9l2plc9jqmeg8n6 https://didme.me/did:meme:1zgs0ue8me4gt3ls5uvq87n7v7ykhrvr50... On the one hand, it seems like this is going to be (and/or is currently being) used by NFT peddlers, but on the other hand it's not like we'll be seeing less NFTs and cryptocurrency garbage if this spec dies. However, I also can't think of any interesting use-cases for this that don't involve cryptocurrency/NFT garbage. Some of the example use-cases seem range from being consumer rights and privacy nightmares, to being just uninteresting ideas that can be implemented without DID. The Transferable Skills Credentials[1] case for example seems to be trying to make a case for adding an NFT/minting schemes as a middle-man for certification programs. What value could that possibly add? Certification programs are centralized by design, so the only "gain" would be that the certification authority doesn't need to maintain a database of the certifications it gives out...or something like that? Also the "Cross-platform User-driven Sharing"[2] one reads like some sovereign citizen wet dream (in semi-broken English). Franklyn is a military war veteran with two young daughters and he is very concerned about protecting their privacy online, so he writes HIS OWN terms of service that companies need to agree with if they want to do business with him. After a long probationary period, he decides to share more information with services (like a shopping list!), but he keeps his finger on the trigger at all times (the delete my DID button) in case the company gets any ideas. I didn't realize the W3C had become such a clown show. 1: https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#vcEcosystem https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#vcEcosystem 2: https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#crossPlatform https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#crossPlatform

semiquaver 4y ago

See https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#onlineShopper https://w3c.github.io/did-use-cases/#onlineShopper It's blockchain bullshit that you can ignore.

xeromal 4y ago
OMG, their example is pretty much an NFT.