DIF Newsletter #44

· 7 min read
DIF Newsletter #44

October 2024

DIF Website | DIF Mailing Lists | Meeting Recording Archive

Table of contents

  1. Decentralized Identity Foundation News; 2. Working Group Updates; 3. Announcements at DIF; 4. DIF Members; 5. Get involved! Join DIF

🚀 Decentralized Identity Foundation News

The DIF Hackathon 2024 is Now Live!

We're excited to announce that the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) Hackathon 2024 is officially underway! This highly anticipated event brings together developers, innovators, and enthusiasts to explore groundbreaking solutions in decentralized identity.

Key Details:

  • Hacking Period: October 1 - November 4, 2024
  • Tracks: Education, Reusable Identity, Travel, and ZKPs
  • Prize Pool: ~$70,000 USD

Whether you're a seasoned decentralized identity developer or new to the field, this hackathon offers a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation. With challenges spanning education, reusable identity, travel, and ZKPs, there's something for everyone interested in shaping the future of digital identity.

How to Participate:

  1. Register on DevPost: https://difhackathon2024.devpost.com/
  2. Explore the challenge details: https://identity.foundation/hackathon-2024/
  3. Sign up for educational sessions: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/decentralized-identity-foundation-26691849135
  4. Join the Discord community: https://discord.gg/WXPzWvBCjD

Don't miss out on this chance to collaborate, learn, and potentially win prizes while contributing to the advancement of decentralized identity technology. Register now and be part of the next wave of innovation. Happy hacking!

DIF Africa SIG Launch

DIF announced the launch of the DIF Africa Special Interest Group (SIG). This initiative aims to promote and advance decentralized identity technologies and standards across the African continent. Led by Chairs Gideon Lombard from DIDx and Jack Scott-King from VERA, the DIF Africa SIG will focus on addressing Africa's unique requirements and use cases in the decentralized identity space.

The SIG's primary objectives include raising awareness, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, contributing to standards development, and advocating for the adoption of decentralized identity solutions in Africa. Gideon and Jack invite all interested organizations, institutions, and individuals to join the inaugural meeting on October 16th, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM South African Standard Time. This marks an exciting step forward in ensuring that decentralized identity technologies are developed and implemented with Africa's specific needs in mind.

Read the full article:

Launch of the DIF Africa Special Interest Group
Dear DIF Community, We are excited to announce the launch of the Decentralised Identity Foundation (DIF) Africa Special Interest Group (SIG). This initiative represents a significant milestone in our collective efforts to promote, advance, and support the development and adoption of decentralised identity technologies and standards across Africa. About the

DID Traits and Trust DID Web: Significant Work Items Added to ID & Discovery Working Group

DIF is thrilled to announce the launch of two significant new work items within our Identifiers & Discovery Working Group. DID Traits and Trust DID Web are set to enhance the functionality and security of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), bringing the next level of trust, interoperability, and ease of use to the ecosystem.

Markus Sabadello, Founder & CEO of Danube Tech and Co-Chair of the ID & Discovery WG, highlights the significance of these initiatives: "Identifiers are the foundation of any digital identity system. The new work items, DID Traits and Trust DID Web, are vital steps forward in building robust identifier systems that other technologies and protocols can rely on."

Read the full article:

DIF Announces Two New Work Items in Identifiers & Discovery Working Group
The Decentralized Identity Foundation is at the forefront of innovating standards and technologies for decentralized digital identity. Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of two new work items within our Identifiers & Discovery Working Group, aimed at improving the functionality and security of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs). Markus Sabadello, Founder & CEO

DID Method Standardization Initiative

DIF held the kickoff meeting for DID Method Standardization efforts. Here's a quick rundown of our latest developments:

  1. Held the kickoff meeting on 22 September with around 50 participants. Regular schedule to be announced in early October.
  2. Presented the collaboration to W3C Technical Plenary / Advisory Committee meetings.
  3. Published a comprehensive update on our progress and next steps.
  4. Launched a central hub for collaboration and information sharing, featuring an overview of mission and goals, pointers to ongoing efforts, and general discussions

Your participation is crucial in shaping the future of interoperable DID Methods. Whether you're a seasoned expert or new to DIDs, we welcome your input and involvement.

🛠️ Working Group Updates

💡Identifiers and Discovery Work Group

The Identifiers & Discovery WG launched DID Traits and did:tdw work items. Read more in the featured section above

Identifiers and Discovery meets bi-weekly at 11am PT/ 2pmET/ 8pm CET Mondays

🪪 Claims & Credentials Working Group

Reminder that the Claims & Credentials WG is accepting input on the Basic Person schema, relevant for reusable identity claims.

The Credential Schemas work item meets bi-weekly at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 7pm CET Tuesdays

🔐 Applied Crypto WG

The Applied Crypto WG released BBS v07!

The DIF Crypto - BBS work item meets weekly at 11am PT/2pm ET /8pm CET Mondays

📦 Secure Data Storage

Additional improvements to the specification and implementation continue.

DIF/CCG Secure Data Storage WG - DWN Task Force meets bi-weekly at 9am PT/12pm ET/6pm CET Wednesdays

If you are interested in participating in any of the Working Groups highlighted above, or any of DIF's other Working Groups, please click join DIF.

📢 Announcements at DIF

Internet Identity Workshop (IIW) #39

iiw.jpg

The Fall IIW is taking place in Mountain View, California from 29 - 31 October. Book your ticket here.

🗓️ ️DIF Members

DIF Member Spotlight: Moises Jaramillo of Dentity

We sat with Moises Jaramillo, Principal Engineer at Dentity and veteran software developer, to discuss his journey in decentralized identity and his current work pushing the boundaries of digital identity with Web3/Web5 and Decentralized Web Nodes.

Moises also shares insights into Dentity's groundbreaking partnership with ENS Labs and offers valuable advice for participants in the upcoming DIF hackathon.

Read more from Moises.

DIF Member Spotlight: Nick Lambert, CEO of Dock

We interviews Nick Lambert, CEO of Dock, who has been at the forefront of empowering individuals with control over their digital identity for over a decade.

In our interview, Nick shares valuable insights on:

  • The evolution of decentralized identity solutions and the power of industry-wide collaboration
  • Dock's approach to verifiable credentials and their recent blockchain merger with Cheqd
  • The potential of reusable KYC and Customer Identity Access Management (CIAM) as key growth areas
  • A unique use case involving anonymous cyber incident reporting for the University of Arkansas

This spotlight offers a glimpse into the future of digital identity and the power of cooperation in solving complex challenges in our field. Read the full interview to dive deeper into Nick's perspectives on the evolving landscape of decentralized identity.

TBD Features DWNs in Hacktoberfest

TBD has added their DWN SDK to the annual Hacktoberfest! Check out the github repository to participate!

GitHub - TBD54566975/dwn-sdk-js: Decentralized Web Node (DWN) Reference implementation
Decentralized Web Node (DWN) Reference implementation - TBD54566975/dwn-sdk-js

DIF Members in the News

Spruce announced their partnership with California DMV on the Mobile Drivers' License

SpruceID Partners with California DMV on the Mobile Driver’s License
SpruceID has partnered with the State of California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to bring mobile driver’s licenses to residents of California.

Trinsic released their reusable ID SDK

Trinsic introduces SDK to ease reusable digital ID integration | Biometric Update
Allows businesses to perform identity verification for their customers 10 times faster than before by accepting digital IDs within their existing IDV flow.

👉Are you a DIF member with news to share? Email us at communication@identity.foundation with details.

New Member Orientations

If you are new to DIF join us for our upcoming new member orientations. Please subscribe to DIF’s eventbrite for upcoming notifications on orientations and events.

🆔 Join DIF!

If you would like to get in touch with us or become a member of the DIF community, please visit our website or follow our channels:

Follow us on Twitter/X

Join us on GitHub

Subscribe on YouTube

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Read the DIF blog

New Member Orientations

If you are new to DIF join us for our upcoming new member orientations. Find more information on DIF’s slack or contact us at community@identity.foundation if you need more information.

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