The Decentralized Identity Foundation, DIF for short, is delighted to learn of the W3C Director's final decision to approve the Decentralized Identifiers (DID) V1.0 specification as an official W3C Recommendation. This is a significant milestone in the digital identity sector. Read the full W3C press release on this decision here
Announcing the Decentralized Identifiers (DID) v1.0 specification as an open web standard signals that it is technically sound, mature, and ready for widespread adoption. Having an established v1.0 specification allows work to continue with renewed energy and focus, not only at the many groups meeting at DIF, but across the digital identity community.
Three formal objections were registered and considered as part of the W3C approval process; these were ultimately overruled by the W3C director after careful analysis and consultation with all parties, leading to today's decision to approve the DID Core specification as a W3C Recommendation. Read the content of the objections as well as the counter-arguments here.
This specification is the result of half a decade of sustained, broad-based, dedicated work on the part of the DIDWG at W3C, which includes many DIF and ToIP members. We acknowledge also the work done by numerous, forward-thinking organizations who have already built working implementations, thereby laying the foundations of new infrastructures for"identity data''. Participants of the DIF Identifiers & Discovery Working Group have contributed to such foundational DID infrastructure and tooling, for example the recently-updated Universal Resolver. This community-maintained tool makes it possible to resolve many different DID methods, therefore supporting interoperability and data portability efforts. Read more about the Universal Resolver on our blog here, or check out some more of the exciting potential use-cases for DIDs in the W3C documentation here.
Looking forward, a newly-chartered W3C DID Working Group is expected to deliver a selection of standard DID methods and further demonstrate interoperation between implementations. The community and Member review of such proposed methods is the natural place to address the feedback and questions raised by the objectors and other Member reviewers regarding decentralization, fitness for purpose, and sustainable resource utilization.
We believe DIDs will change the course of digital identity by building-in better user controls, portability, and interoperability at the lowest possible level, while also offering increased security and simplicity for implementers and service providers. This advancement unlocks new opportunities for our digital lives, and we look forward to leveraging DIDs and other technologies developed in the community to champion a new class of user-first, self-owned digital identity systems.
Looking for a way to get involved in work involving DIDs? Joining DIF is a great way to start; you are invited to contribute, learn and connect with our diverse community of members today! Don't forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter on our website here to stay up to date on developments in the digital identity landscape! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn!
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