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It's the first I've heard of it, but apparently DID (W3C Decentralized Identifiers) is an underlying standard that's separate from what Microsoft is building on

It's the first I've heard of it, but apparently DID (W3C Decentralized Identifiers) is an underlying standard that's separate from what Microsoft is building on top of it. > 2. Trust System. In order to be able to resolve DID documents, DIDs are typically recorded on an underlying network of some kind that represents a trust system. Microsoft currently supports two trust systems, which are: > - ION (Identity Overlay Network) ION is a Layer 2 open, permissionless network based on the purely deterministic Sidetree protocol, which requires no special tokens, trusted validators, or other consensus mechanisms; the linear progression of Bitcoin's time chain is all that's required for its operation. We have open sourced an npm package to make working with the ION network easy to integrate into your apps and services. Libraries include creating a new DID, generating keys and anchoring your DID on the Bitcoin blockchain. > - DID:Web is a permission based model that allows trust using a web domain’s existing reputation. Introduction to Microsoft Entra Verified ID - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/verifiable-credentials/decentralized-identifier-overview#why-we-need-decentralized-identity https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/ver...

jiggawatts 4y ago
If you read through the DID/ION, etc... standards, you'll quickly notice the Blockchain / crypto pedigree once you start looking for the keywords. "Trustless", "decentralized", "ledger", etc... all make a regular appearance. > Introduction to Microsoft Entra Verified ID In a similar discussion I tried to politely make the point that despite over two decades of "identity" experience under my belt, I have literally no clue what any of this technical gibberish is trying to solve (other than making crypto a mainstream thing). I've read the entire Entra document. I've read most of the backing standards papers, like ION. It's wall-to-wall gibberish. I won't go through the criticism in detail, but let's just look at the the practical example shown in this section: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/verifiable-credentials/decentralized-identifier-overview#a-sample-scenario https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/ver... What. The. Eff? Why would anyone solve this problem with blockchain!? Or "distributed" anything? This is a Solved Problem with vastly simpler and more direct (not distributed) solutions. For example, similar discounts are offered to students and education staff by various shops. They simply ask students to sign up with an email that has an ".edu" or similar suffix. For this specific example, the shop could simply use any identifier that is PKI-signed by the employer! A simple 2D barcode would do, shown via a simple phone app. Literally just a public key and a barcode. No ledgers, IPFS, wallets, distributed this, trustless that. A printout on dead trees would suffice. This all feels like boiling the ocean to make a crypto pot of tea.
- lioeters 4y ago
  A major characteristic of the crypto/blockchain trend I noticed is how so much of it is "creative" gibberish - new concepts, words, systems, architectures - but when I dig down to their essence, it's like a castle made of sand, or a pipe dream made of clouds. I keep thinking, there must be some concrete technical innovations that drive this flourishing new field. Occasionally there's an insight, like distributed computing, decentralized and trustless - and it gives me hope that something real is happening, that there's practical value. But then I see the ecosystem and market full of pseudo-technical BS and outright fraud. It reminds me of modern financial instruments with intellectual-sounding concepts, derivatives, securities, repackaged loans, and so on, enabling a wide range of tricks and scams upon the public. As far as scams go, it makes sense that most of it is made up of words, like politics and religion. And maybe some parts of the story can be based on reality, to make it sound more believable. Microsoft Entra seems to be marketed to enterprise customers, big money. But that's the completely wrong audience to try and sell "decentralized". Enterprise-scale companies need centralization of identities. --- I gotta admit though, even after the disillusionment and breaking the spell, I'm still a little bit curious and hopeful that the crypto/blockchain hype has at least a few nuggets of real, practical value. It's a great con indeed, and one of the biggest mass "nerd sniping" I've witnessed.

jiggawatts 4y ago

If you read through the DID/ION, etc... standards, you'll quickly notice the Blockchain / crypto pedigree once you start looking for the keywords. "Trustless", "decentralized", "ledger", etc... all make a regular appearance. > Introduction to Microsoft Entra Verified ID In a similar discussion I tried to politely make the point that despite over two decades of "identity" experience under my belt, I have literally no clue what any of this technical gibberish is trying to solve (other than making crypto a mainstream thing). I've read the entire Entra document. I've read most of the backing standards papers, like ION. It's wall-to-wall gibberish. I won't go through the criticism in detail, but let's just look at the the practical example shown in this section: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/verifiable-credentials/decentralized-identifier-overview#a-sample-scenario https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/ver... What. The. Eff? Why would anyone solve this problem with blockchain!? Or "distributed" anything? This is a Solved Problem with vastly simpler and more direct (not distributed) solutions. For example, similar discounts are offered to students and education staff by various shops. They simply ask students to sign up with an email that has an ".edu" or similar suffix. For this specific example, the shop could simply use any identifier that is PKI-signed by the employer! A simple 2D barcode would do, shown via a simple phone app. Literally just a public key and a barcode. No ledgers, IPFS, wallets, distributed this, trustless that. A printout on dead trees would suffice. This all feels like boiling the ocean to make a crypto pot of tea.

lioeters 4y ago
A major characteristic of the crypto/blockchain trend I noticed is how so much of it is "creative" gibberish - new concepts, words, systems, architectures - but when I dig down to their essence, it's like a castle made of sand, or a pipe dream made of clouds. I keep thinking, there must be some concrete technical innovations that drive this flourishing new field. Occasionally there's an insight, like distributed computing, decentralized and trustless - and it gives me hope that something real is happening, that there's practical value. But then I see the ecosystem and market full of pseudo-technical BS and outright fraud. It reminds me of modern financial instruments with intellectual-sounding concepts, derivatives, securities, repackaged loans, and so on, enabling a wide range of tricks and scams upon the public. As far as scams go, it makes sense that most of it is made up of words, like politics and religion. And maybe some parts of the story can be based on reality, to make it sound more believable. Microsoft Entra seems to be marketed to enterprise customers, big money. But that's the completely wrong audience to try and sell "decentralized". Enterprise-scale companies need centralization of identities. --- I gotta admit though, even after the disillusionment and breaking the spell, I'm still a little bit curious and hopeful that the crypto/blockchain hype has at least a few nuggets of real, practical value. It's a great con indeed, and one of the biggest mass "nerd sniping" I've witnessed.