Self-Issued Claims Anchored by Decentralized Identifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In decentralized environments, users face challenges in identifying themselves and verifying others' identities due to the use of unintelligible decentralized identifiers (DIDs) on distributed ledgers, making it difficult for parties to know each other's personal information while maintaining privacy.
Innovation Solution
Implementing decentralized identification systems that allow users to generate self-issued claims with cryptographic signatures, which are propagated onto a distributed ledger, enabling secure identification and validation between entities, with optional conditions and revocation mechanisms for access control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If decentralized identifiers (DIDs) are used in distributed ledgers, then user privacy and control over personal information are improved, but the ability to identify and verify user identities deteriorates due to unintelligible identifier formats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces verifiable credentials as an intermediary mechanism that mediates between the unintelligible DID and the need for identity verification. The credential contains decoded personal information that can be displayed and verified without exposing the raw DID, thus acting as a mediator that preserves privacy while enabling identification
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the identity verification process into multiple components: the DID itself (kept private and unintelligible), the verifiable credential (containing necessary personal information), and the verification mechanism. This segmentation allows different parts to serve different functions - the DID maintains security and privacy, while the credential enables verification
2Reliability
If self-issued claims with cryptographic signatures are propagated onto distributed ledgers, then secure identification and validation are improved, but device complexity and data management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal verifiable credential format that can be used across multiple platforms and applications. The same credential structure and verification process work for different types of identification needs, reducing the need for multiple specialized systems and lowering overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses cryptographic copying where the essential verification information is replicated in the verifiable credential without copying the entire identity system. The credential contains a verified copy of necessary attributes that can be independently validated, reducing the complexity of maintaining centralized identity databases
Data Source
AI summary
Generating self-issued claims anchored by DIDs and using the self-issued claims as self-identification. The computing system generates one or more claims, each of which includes at least information related to (1) a DID, (2) a property of a subject entity who is an owner of the DID, and (3) a value corresponding to the property. For each of the one or more claims, the computing system generates a cryptographic signature by signing the claim with a private key associated with the corresponding DID. The cryptographic signature proves that the claim is a self-issued claim, which is issued by the owner of the corresponding DID and is about the owner of the corresponding DID. A portion of data related to the self-issued claim is then propagated onto a distributed ledger.