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Decentralized Identity

Important

The concepts of DIDs and VCs, along with the set of standards defined by the W3C consortium represent a standardized option for assigning, presenting, resolving, and verifying the Agents' identities in an open and decentralized manner.

It is worth highlighting that although the Identity platform conceived by the AGNTCY could leverage some of these concepts and standards, the Agent identities managed by, or through the AGNTCY, are by no means limited to, or constrained by these standards. Indeed, the key concept leveraged by the AGNTCY is the use of VCs, particularly, with the aim of creating, presenting, and securely verifying Agent Badges (see: Agent Badge example).

Relevant Standard Drafts​

While Decentralized Identities have primarily focused on providing individuals and organizations with greater control over their data and digital identities, this concept can be leveraged to assign identities to Agents.

A set of key standards have been developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to ensure interoperability, security, and reliability in the assignment, presentation, and verification of decentralized identities. These standards include:

Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.1​

  • Purpose: DIDs are a type of identifier that enables self-sovereign assignment of digital identities in such a way that they are cryptographically verifiable. Unlike centralized identifiers, DIDs are not controlled by any single organization.
  • Structure: DIDs consist of a URI scheme that supports decentralized identity management. They are designed to be universally unique and resolvable, and they can be used across different administrative domains and systems.
  • Use Cases: DIDs can be used to identify entities such as individuals, organizations, devices, and Agents in a decentralized manner, enabling privacy and control over identity data.

Verifiable Credentials (VCs) v2.0​

  • Purpose: VCs allow individuals, organizations, and Agents to present information in a secure, privacy-preserving, and machine-verifiable way. They are the digital equivalent of physical credentials, such as a driver's licenses, university degrees, ownership of a property, or an Agent's provenance.
  • Structure: VCs consist of claims made by an issuer about a subject (e.g., an Agent), and they are cryptographically signed to ensure authenticity and integrity.
  • Benefits: VCs enhance trust between parties by allowing credential holders to prove claims without disclosing sensitive information.