Presented during the #Consensus2016 identity workshop, May 4th, 2016

1. Identity on the Blockchain:
Perils and Promise
Consensus 2016 Identity Workshop
May 4th, 2016
ChristopherA@Blockstream.com

2. Christopher Allen
• The Past: Cryptographic Trust & Internet Privacy Pioneer
– Enabled PGP, Digicash, Red Hat, etc. with cryptographic tools
– Co-author Consensus Development’s SSL 3.0 reference implementation
– Co-editor of IETF TLS 1.0, world’s broadest deployed security standard
– CTO Certicom, early smart contracts work
– VP Developer Relations, Blackphone / Silent Circle
• The Present: Blockchain & Identity Architect
– ID 2020 Board Advisor, United Nations Summit on Digital Identity (May 20th)
– #RebootingWebOfTrust Design Workshop (May 21st & 22nd)
– Principal Architect, Blockstream
PGP: FDA6C78E

3. Blockstream
• We believe in trustless and permissionless innovation
– Open source “Elements” sidechain project
– “Liquid” sidechain for capital efficiency & liquidity in bitcoin exchanges
• We believe in fairness, openness and accountability
– Interoperable markets and many blockchains
– Trustable and secure fiduciary transactions across multiple blockchains
• We’re in this together
– We are committed to collaboration with the broader industry
– We are open to learning from you

4. Identity on the Blockchain
• Blockstream has no identity product
– However, we have privacy & confidentiality enabling crypto tools, including:
– Confidential transactions; zero-knowledge transactions; crypto blinding; etc.
• Identity of the Blockchain is a two-edged sword
– Best: Hold the powerful accountable for their actions
– Worst: We weaponize identity as a tool against the powerless
• We wish to be part of the growing dialogue about Identity on the Blockchain
– For if we do not speak, solutions may emerge that don't meet our high
standards
– We wish to learn together how to better create appropriate solutions

5. Why now?
• United Nations goal 16.9. targets legal identity for all by 2030
– Estimated 1.5bn people without a legal identity, 230m children under 5 yrs
– 60m stateless people and refugees
• Aadhaar Card Registered ~1bn Indian citizens
– Violates some best practices of over a decade of first-world identity work
– Few laws against profiling, discrimination, abuse by law enforcement, etc.
– Biometric abuses — you can’t revoke a fingerprint
• In WW II, more Jews died as % of population in Holland than in Germany
• The same tools we use to protect a buyer, seller, trader, auctioneer, or a make
a marketplace fair & transparent can also be use to defend the helpless!

6. Self-Sovereign Identity
• Every individual human being is the original source of their own identity
• Identity is not an administrative mechanism for others to control
– No one may charge rent or be able revoke another’s identity
• Each individual is the root of their own identity, and central to its
administration
• The role of names, citizenship, licenses & other credentials should be distinct

7. 10 Principles bit.ly/PathSelfSovereign
• Existence
– Users have an independent existence — they are never wholly digital
• Control
– Users must control their identities, celebrity or privacy as they prefer
• Access
– Users must have access to their own data — no gatekeepers, nothing hidden
• Transparency
– Systems and algorithms must be open and transparent
• Persistence
– Identities must be long-lived — for as long as the user wishes

8. 10 Principles (continued) bit.ly/PathSelfSovereign
• Portability
– Information and services about identity must be transportable by the user
• Interoperability
– Identities should be as widely usable as possible; e.g. cross borders
• Consent
– Users must freely agree to how their identity information will be used
• Minimalization
– Disclosure of claims about an identity must be as few as possble
• Protection
– The rights of individual users must be protected against the powerful

9. A Growing Dialog
• These 10 principles are only a beginning…
– Share your ideas & thoughts with me @ChristopherA
– Post issues & pull requests at:
github.com/ChristopherA/self-sovereign-identity
• How can we better understand the problems and advocate solutions?
– ID 2020 Summit on Digital Identity at United Nations May 20th
– ID2020summit.org
• What architectures support self-sovereign identity?
– Second #RebootingWebOfTrust Workshop May 21st & 22nd
– www.WebOfTrust.info
@ChristopherA