Summary of the 38th Internet Identity Workshop (IIW)
The 2023 Internet of Identity Workshop (IIW) took place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, from April 16th to April 18th, bringing together industry leaders, standards bodies, governments, and technology providers to address the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of content authenticity, AI, digital identities, and decentralized technologies.
On the first day of the event, the "Navigating the Credential MAZE with DIF" session introduced new initiatives by the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) and the Claims and Credentials Group to standardize credential schemas, aiming to harmonize our website verification practices across the industry. Another highlight was a discussion on Signed Data JSON Web Tokens (SD-JWTs), which ensure the integrity and authenticity of data exchanged between parties.
The first day focused on Content Authenticity, with a presentation by Eric Scouten from Adobe about the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA). The urgency for robust mechanisms to authenticate content at its source was emphasized, as the growing threat of AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation necessitates digital trust.
The second day delved deeper into integrating website information within C2PA manifests and showcased new features aimed at enhancing privacy and security, including capability negotiation and a new browser API. The OpenID4VP session also focused on improving the framework for website verification, suggesting simplifying the query format and optimizing the interoperability of different verifiable credential (VC) data formats within the Presentation Exchange.
A session titled "A Bridge to the Future: Connecting X.509 and DIDs/VIDs" explored the potential for integrating traditional X.509 infrastructure with decentralized identifiers (DIDs). Greater industry consolidation is predicted as efforts to unify trust registries and standardize protocols will likely streamline operations, leading to more efficient website management systems.
The "Personal Data Store Faceoff" session provided a detailed comparison of existing personal data storage solutions, highlighting their unique features and potential for future developments. The workshop also emphasized the role of governments and platforms in evolving from simply issuing foundational IDs to building software and infrastructure that enables adoption of decentralized identity technologies.
The industry is driving toward making authentication seamless but secure, eliminating friction for end users while upholding strong security and privacy standards. Attention was given to the role of digital identity in public infrastructure, emphasizing privacy safeguards, accountability mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder governance to ensure identity systems serve the public interest and protect personal data.
The Internet of Identity Workshop (IIW) is an annual event that allows attendees to choose the topics for each session on the day itself. This year's workshop reflected ongoing and emerging challenges in digital trust and security, with key themes including Content Authenticity, the evolution of standards, the transition of big tech companies to decentralized identity systems, and the implications and future trends in the digital landscape.
As AI technologies create new identity challenges, ensuring secure and privacy-respecting digital identities that are interoperable and resilient to AI-driven manipulation is a priority in the continuous improvements of standards and technologies. The 2023 IIW marked a significant step in this collaborative effort, with Apple and Google demonstrating interoperability between their respective wallets via a browser, marking a significant step in the industry's technology integration.
[1] Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) - [2] Claims and Credentials Group - [3] Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) - [4] OpenID Foundation -
- In the "Navigating the Credential MAZE with DIF" session, the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) and the Claims and Credentials Group introduced new initiatives to standardize credential schemas, aiming to harmonize technology practices in the industry.
- The ongoing effort to ensure secure and privacy-respecting digital identities that are interoperable and resilient to AI-driven manipulation was highlighted at the 2023 IIW, with presentations from both Apple and Google demonstrating interoperability between their respective wallets via a browser, showcasing a significant step in technology integration.
){kind=link}