DID and VC:Untangling decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials for the web of trust

Clemens Brunner, Ulrich Gallersdörfer, Fabian Knirsch, Dominik Engel, Florian Matthes

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

Decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials have been proposed as a self-sovereign and privacy-friendly alternative to centralized and proprietary authentication services. Currently, a W3C standard exists that attempts to unify existing proposals and to find a common layer for decentralized identification and verification. However, there are some limitations of decentralized identifiers in comparison to established, centrally controlled authentication platforms concerning trust, privacy and usability. In this paper, we first describe all workflows which are necessary to create, share and verify a verifiable credential and second, we discuss the limitations concerning trust, privacy and usability of decentralized identifiers. The paper summarizes the involved workflows for decentralized authentication as proposed by the current standard. Further, we show the existing limitations and shortcomings that need to be considered when sharing DID for practical implementations and give an overview of possible solutions and future directions.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2020 3rd International Conference on Blockchain Technology and Applications, ICBTA 2020
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages61-66
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781450388962
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 Dec 2020
Event3rd International Conference on Blockchain Technology and Applications, ICBTA 2020 - Virtual, Online, China
Duration: 14 Dec 202016 Dec 2020

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference3rd International Conference on Blockchain Technology and Applications, ICBTA 2020
Country/TerritoryChina
CityVirtual, Online
Period14/12/2016/12/20

Keywords

  • Blockchain
  • DID
  • Decentralized Identifiers
  • Trust
  • VC
  • Verifiable Claims
  • Verifiable Credentials
  • W3C
  • Web of Trust

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