Blockchain Technology: The Solution to Global Digital Identity
Introduction:-
For many years, the world has been grappling with the challenge of digital identity. The current centralized root of trust model, which relies on CAs, consortia, or governments, has been found to be vulnerable to breaches and hacking attempts. However, with blockchain technology, we can finally solve this global digital identity problem.
Blockchain Technology:-
A public blockchain is a decentralized root of trust that nobody owns, but everyone can use. It uses a consensus algorithm operating over many different machines and replicated by many different entities in a decentralized network, turning the centralized root of trust model on its head. The Bitcoin network has proven the effectiveness of this model by operating for eight years without a breach.
The fundamental idea behind blockchain technology is to replace trust in humans with trust in mathematics. Every transaction in the blockchain is digitally signed by the originator and chained to the prior via a digital hash. Validated transactions are replicated across all machines using a consensus algorithm, resulting in a cryptographic ledger of immutable records that makes it very difficult, if not almost impossible to change past transactions or maliciously control future ones.
Decentralized Public Key Infrastructure (DPKI):-
A blockchain is ideal to serve as a decentralized self-service registry for public keys, since every transaction in a blockchain has a digital signature that requires a private key. It is an obvious choice to use the blockchain itself for the storage of the associated public key, or any other cryptographic key over which the key owner needs to prove ownership. This is the core idea behind moving from centralized PKI to decentralized PKI (DPKI).
Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs):-
Decentralized identifiers (DIDs) provide a standard way for individuals and organizations to create permanent, globally unique, cryptographically verifiable identifiers entirely under the identity owner’s control. Unlike a domain name, IP address, or phone number, a DID is not rented from any service provider, and no one can take it away from whomever owns or controls the associated private key.
DIDs are the first globally unique verifiable identifiers that require no registration authority. A DID is stored on a blockchain along with a DID document containing the public key for the DID, any other public credentials the identity owner wishes to disclose, and the network addresses for interaction. The identity owner controls the DID document by controlling the associated private key.
Because DIDs are an open standard, any blockchain can create a DID method defining how DIDs can be registered and resolved on that blockchain. And because control over a DID is asserted entirely using cryptography, by digitally signing the transaction with the blockchain where the DID is registered, no central authority is needed to register the DID, nor is any central authority needed to track or manage DIDs.
Benefits of DPKI and DIDs:-
DIDs enable true self-sovereign identity – lifetime portable digital identity for any person, organization, or thing that can never be taken away. DIDs are a sea change in digital identity. For the first time in history, an identity owner is no longer dependent on an external provider to gain the power of a permanent unique identifier that can be looked up on the Internet.
Finally, with a public blockchain for DIDs, anyone can issue a digitally-signed credential, and anyone else can verify it. The DID specification ensures that issuers and verifiers everywhere can look up the necessary public keys on a public blockchain regardless of whether they belong to the same organization or identity federation. This progression from disconnected “islands of identity” each with its own PKI to a global identity network based a decentralized PKI (DPKI) is the same progression that occurred in moving from “islands of networking” (local area networks) into the global Internet.
Conclusion
In conclusion, blockchain technology provides a solution to the global digital identity problem by offering a decentralized root of trust model that uses a consensus algorithm operating over many different machines and replicated by many different entities in a decentralized network. Decentralized identity solutions, such as DIDs, enable true self-sovereign identity, where individuals and organizations have lifetime portable digital identity for any person, organization, or thing that can never be taken away. With blockchain technology, every public key can now have its own address, called a DID, which is a permanent, globally unique, and cryptographically verifiable identifier entirely under the identity owner's control. By using a public blockchain for DIDs, anyone can issue a digitally-signed credential, and anyone else can verify it without the need for centralized CAs or identity federations. This progression towards a global identity network based on a decentralized PKI model can provide a more resilient, decentralized web of trust model, ultimately leading to a safer and more secure digital future for all.
For many years, the world has been grappling with the challenge of digital identity. The current centralized root of trust model, which relies on CAs, consortia, or governments, has been found to be vulnerable to breaches and hacking attempts. However, with blockchain technology, we can finally solve this global digital identity problem.
Blockchain Technology:-
A public blockchain is a decentralized root of trust that nobody owns, but everyone can use. It uses a consensus algorithm operating over many different machines and replicated by many different entities in a decentralized network, turning the centralized root of trust model on its head. The Bitcoin network has proven the effectiveness of this model by operating for eight years without a breach.
The fundamental idea behind blockchain technology is to replace trust in humans with trust in mathematics. Every transaction in the blockchain is digitally signed by the originator and chained to the prior via a digital hash. Validated transactions are replicated across all machines using a consensus algorithm, resulting in a cryptographic ledger of immutable records that makes it very difficult, if not almost impossible to change past transactions or maliciously control future ones.
Decentralized Public Key Infrastructure (DPKI):-
A blockchain is ideal to serve as a decentralized self-service registry for public keys, since every transaction in a blockchain has a digital signature that requires a private key. It is an obvious choice to use the blockchain itself for the storage of the associated public key, or any other cryptographic key over which the key owner needs to prove ownership. This is the core idea behind moving from centralized PKI to decentralized PKI (DPKI).
Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs):-
Decentralized identifiers (DIDs) provide a standard way for individuals and organizations to create permanent, globally unique, cryptographically verifiable identifiers entirely under the identity owner’s control. Unlike a domain name, IP address, or phone number, a DID is not rented from any service provider, and no one can take it away from whomever owns or controls the associated private key.
DIDs are the first globally unique verifiable identifiers that require no registration authority. A DID is stored on a blockchain along with a DID document containing the public key for the DID, any other public credentials the identity owner wishes to disclose, and the network addresses for interaction. The identity owner controls the DID document by controlling the associated private key.
Because DIDs are an open standard, any blockchain can create a DID method defining how DIDs can be registered and resolved on that blockchain. And because control over a DID is asserted entirely using cryptography, by digitally signing the transaction with the blockchain where the DID is registered, no central authority is needed to register the DID, nor is any central authority needed to track or manage DIDs.
Benefits of DPKI and DIDs:-
DIDs enable true self-sovereign identity – lifetime portable digital identity for any person, organization, or thing that can never be taken away. DIDs are a sea change in digital identity. For the first time in history, an identity owner is no longer dependent on an external provider to gain the power of a permanent unique identifier that can be looked up on the Internet.
Finally, with a public blockchain for DIDs, anyone can issue a digitally-signed credential, and anyone else can verify it. The DID specification ensures that issuers and verifiers everywhere can look up the necessary public keys on a public blockchain regardless of whether they belong to the same organization or identity federation. This progression from disconnected “islands of identity” each with its own PKI to a global identity network based a decentralized PKI (DPKI) is the same progression that occurred in moving from “islands of networking” (local area networks) into the global Internet.
Conclusion
In conclusion, blockchain technology provides a solution to the global digital identity problem by offering a decentralized root of trust model that uses a consensus algorithm operating over many different machines and replicated by many different entities in a decentralized network. Decentralized identity solutions, such as DIDs, enable true self-sovereign identity, where individuals and organizations have lifetime portable digital identity for any person, organization, or thing that can never be taken away. With blockchain technology, every public key can now have its own address, called a DID, which is a permanent, globally unique, and cryptographically verifiable identifier entirely under the identity owner's control. By using a public blockchain for DIDs, anyone can issue a digitally-signed credential, and anyone else can verify it without the need for centralized CAs or identity federations. This progression towards a global identity network based on a decentralized PKI model can provide a more resilient, decentralized web of trust model, ultimately leading to a safer and more secure digital future for all.
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