DID Method Standardization at W3C

What is a DID Method?

Definition

Decentralized identifiers (DIDs), a W3C Recommendation, are a type of identifier that enables people and organizations to own their identifiers.

A DID Method is a specification describing a protocol for creating, reading, updating, and deactivating a Decentralized Identifier.

There are over 200 registered DID Methods today! Some say that's great, some say that's terrible!

Who uses DIDs?

Production Deployments

• BlueSky (a decentralized social network) provides DIDs for 9 million people (in production).
• The California DMV provides DIDs for all their Verifiable Credential Driver's License holders (over 600K people, in production today -- over 34 million people at scale).
• US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS USCIS) has committed to using DIDs for DHS agencies and the 43 million people that hold identity documents issued by them.

Why Standardize DID Methods?

Challenges

• Governments are looking for more definitive guidance
• W3C Members are looking for demonstrations of interop
• Did we mention there are over 200 DID Methods? :)

Demonstration of Momentum

Momentum

Recently, the W3C Credentials Community Group, the Decentralized Identity Foundation, the Trust Over IP Foundation, and the IOTA Foundation announced a joint initiative to standardize DID Methods. These groups are actively incubating DID Methods to be standardized.

Pre-standardization Areas of Focus

• W3C-bound DID Methods
• Common DID Features (DNS as a 2nd factor, audit logs)
• Cross-standards organization collaboration

W3C DID Methods Working Group?

A W3C Charter Proposal

Gathering feedback on a W3C DID Methods Working Group Charter.

• An ephemeral method?
• A web-based method?
• A decentralized method?