Rebooting Web-of-Trust

Mission

Empowering individuals to co-create decentralized systems for lasting mutual benefit.

The Web of Trust is a buzzword for a new model of decentralized self-sovereign identity. It’s a phrase that dates back almost twenty-five years, the classic definition derives from PGP.

But some use it as a term to include self-sovereign identity authentication & verification, certificate validation, and reputation assessment, while the vibrant blockchain community is also drawing new attention to the concept we aim to reboot it.

Purpose

This facilitated design workshop ("DesignShop"), hosted by Christopher Allen, is focused on the creation of the next generation of decentralized web-of-trust based identity systems. The goal of this event is to generate 5 technical white papers on topics decided by the group that will have the greatest impact on the future, followed by a hackathon early in the new year to implement those ideas.

Topics include: lessons from PGP, progressive trust, hierarchical identity keys, perfect forward secrecy, blockchain identity, thin client security, decentralized e-commerce, self-validating scripts in certificates, unbundling certification from revocation, attribute certificates, linked local names, link contracts, capability security, smartcontract PKI, selective disclosure, multisig+group+ring signatures using Schnorr, reputation and trust metrics.

Objectives

1. Best Practices. Establish shared understanding of the opportunities and pitfalls of decentralized identity
2. Evangelizing. Establish our output as foundational/influential to the future of decentralized identity
3. Organization. Develop a leadership team and leadership processes that can sustain the work
4. Community. Continue to serve as a common meeting ground between various related technology communities (common standards, common language, just interpersonal contact).

Outcomes

• Build the next generation of Web-Of-Trust based identity systems.
• Showcase the scope of potential applications for decentralized trust models.
• Bring together the top contributors in web of trust and simlar applications.
• Explore developing tools that might be useful to funders and researchers.
• Discuss and suggest requirements to drive adoption in the Web-of-Trust model.

Conduct

Rebooting Web of Trust is dedicated to a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, nationality, origin, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, physical appearance. We respect and recognize that a diversity of voices is vital to successful collaboration.

We provide a number of resources to help the community achieve the goals listed above:

• The RWoT Code of Conduct provides expected behavior of conference participants before, during, and after the event. It also details how to ask for help if you need it.
• The Paper Development Process provides guidelines for participants creating content before, during, and after the event.

Our anti-harassment policy can be found in the Code of Conduct.