W3C standardizes decentralized identity, a look back at the history of how it got there

Last week, I wrote an article for Nikkei XTECH about DID (Decentralized Identifier), a recommendation issued by the W3C.¹This is the background of a hot technology related to the currently popular Web 3.0/web3 and Web5. I think most people who play DID don't know about it, so I think you'll enjoy it (although the latter half is paid).

This article is the first of two parts in the series "A thorough investigation: Will blockchain bring happiness to humanity?" The first page provides an overview of DID, and the second page discusses and considers the historical background, including the prior technologies that led to it. The most important information is written on the second page and beyond, but it is a paid article and can only be viewed if you pay... Below is just the table of contents. If you haven't paid yet, I would appreciate it if you would pay and read it.².

• (Introduction)
• What is DID? (Free)
  • Format of DID
  • Verifiable Registry
  • DID Document
  • DID Controller
  • These relationships
• The idea for DID was actually created more than 20 years ago - The history of XRI (paid)
  • History around XRI
  • XRI Format
  • XRI Registry
  • XRDS Document
  • These relationships
• What XRI has that DID doesn't (charged)
• Things that are in DID but not in XRI (charged)
• Dictatorship vs. ancient republic vs. modern democracy (paid)

While I was writing this article, it would have easily grown to about four times its current length, but I shortened it by removing episodes and surrounding history. The full version includes assassinations,³It gets my blood pumping (maybe), so I hope to write about it again somewhere.

The second half of the article will be published next week. It will cover the historical background and philosophy of OpenID, so please look forward to it. It will make people who say that Web 2.0 is centralized reconsider.

However, I would really like to publish this series in English in near real time.

Well, here you go.

1. Published April 2022, 7 https://xtech.nikkei.com/atcl/nxt/column/18/02132/072200002/
2. In addition, there is no monetary benefit to me even if you charge.
3. Although it is a side story