Technology Vision 2023 | When Atoms meet Bits #TechVision Decentralized ID (DID), signifying an important step The advantages to distributed approaches are As it stands, the core identity ecosystem is messy — 70 Also forward for decentralized identity efforts. enhanced safety, security, and trust—but the nature a testament to the rapid innovation happening in fall 2022, the Linux Foundation announced the of decentralization leaves things harder to build for today. But the amount of change bubbling beneath OpenWallet Foundation (OWF). Instead of publishing purpose. Usability, interoperability, and fears over the surface is enough that every enterprise should identity credentials or standards, OWF wants to account recovery are challenges that can end up take note. From large state-led projects to novel create open-source software that will democratize hurting adoption. methods of authentication, how enterprises engage the process, allowing any organization to develop people—whether customer or employee—is starting 71 Importantly though, enterprises don’t have to wait their own digital wallet. to change on a foundational level. What’s more, for tomorrow’s standards or apps to start bene昀椀ting while that alone would be enough to re-engineer Early efforts are already demonstrating how from this technology. The government of British systems, an even bigger change is yet to come: decentralized core identities could radically Columbia (BC) built OrgBook BC, a blockchain- how the use of those identities is starting to evolve. transform our experiences on the web. For example, based publicly searchable directory for the 74 Microsoft’s ION is an identi昀椀cation service that runs 1.4 million organizations registered in the province. on the Bitcoin network. Users of ION can replace Countrywide every year, Canadian companies waste an estimated C$10 billion on administrative red email and password logins with a unique identi昀椀er 72 75 authenticated by blockchain. Any other personal tape, like vetting permits. Now, with OrgBook, data exists off-chain, making this purely a core a unique digital identity is created for every identity solution. And Web3 wallets, like MetaMask registered business in BC, which is then associated and Trust Wallet, are increasingly being positioned with the various licenses and permits the business as core IDs as well. They provide users with a unique has quali昀椀ed for. This allows OrgBook BC’s public- non-custodial ID (the individual holds the private facing website to automatically validate a company’s key to the ID), which can be used to access a whole ID and credentials against the blockchain every slew of next-generation digital services, like storing time its name appears in a search, providing users a NFTs, transferring cryptocurrency, or interacting with trusted record of companies’ registration status and 73 distributed apps (dApps). selected licenses and permits.