What is an Identity?

In a decentralized digital identity, your identity is something you control yourself, without needing to rely on big companies or governments. It’s like having a digital ID that you own and can use across different websites or apps, but only sharing the information you want. It’s more private, secure, and puts you in charge of your own data.

Identity Keys

Keys and identity are different in that keys are just the tools you use to access or control something, while your identity is who you are. In the phrase “not your keys, not your coins,” the focus is on how owning the keys gives you control over your cryptocurrency. But with decentralized identity, the concept is more flexible—your identity isn’t tied to a single key. Even if you lose a key, your identity remains yours. You can recover or update access, meaning your identity stays intact, even if specific keys change. The keys give you access, but they don’t define your identity.

Rotating Keys (coming soon)

A decentralized digital identity allows for key rotation, meaning you can change your keys if they’re lost or compromised without losing your identity. This is possible using an offline master key, which acts as the ultimate safeguard. You can split this master key into several parts (shares) and distribute those shares to trusted individuals or parties. If needed, these trusted parties can come together to reconstruct the master key, allowing you to rotate your keys and regain access to your identity. This approach adds an extra layer of security and control, ensuring that your identity is never fully reliant on any single key.

Attestations (coming soon)

Attestations are verified claims or confirmations made by trusted parties about your decentralized identity. These can be things like verifying your age, employment, or reputation. On-chain attestations take this a step further by recording these verifications on a blockchain, making them transparent, tamper-proof, and easy to verify by others. Over time, these attestations build up to establish trust and credibility, providing a clear picture of your identity without needing a central authority. This system makes it easy to prove facts about yourself or your organization while ensuring the integrity of the data.