What are SSI objects? Why do we need them?
SSI objects are for example digital identities (DID) and digital credentials.
We all have physical real world credentials already. Your paper passport and plastic card drivers license are good examples. They are physical documentation that you are a legal resident of the country you come from, and proof that you can drive a car. The problem though, is that these cannot be used as proof when you need them on the internet. They are only usable in the physical real world.
<u>Digital credentials are digital versions of these documents</u> in a form that can be used in the (non-physical) internet world.
The DID is your digital identity, to which you can receive these digital proofs and link to you as a digital person.
Why would you want to create a digital credential?
Perhaps you are the manager of a sports club? Perhaps you are a University professor and want to send digital proof to your graduate students for passing a course? You could then make use of DIDs to let your club members or students receive these digital proofs. The possibilities are endless.
With endless possibilities, also endless variations of the same type of credential will be created. Let's give professors, sports club managers and all credential builders out there help finding standard diplomas or club membership credentials so they do not need to figure this out by themselves!! We propose to create a library of standard, reusable credential templates to get the Atala PRISM community off to a good start
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<u>When creating digital credentials there are no standards for what fields and properties are required and which are optional for that particular type of credential.</u> Without standards, all credential creators are free to add fields as they please. While freedom is great while playing or testing, it can lead to disaster when used in real life. Birth certificates without required fields like name and date of birth, or uncertainty regarding time zone of the date, would render the credential useless.
This project will to set up a library of templates for standard SSI related objects to aid digital credential creators as a resource. The library can also be integrated with SSI tools that want to use the templates.
Please make note that the library will created, not all of the different possible types of credential templates. Each template will require expertise into which properties constitutes the credential and no single person or team possess expertise to cover all credential types. We are aiming to create this library so community teams and individuals can contribute their credential templates, and manage these templates using the library.
When credential creators and tools all use the same templates, standards are developed, synergies are accomplished and adoption of Atala Prism SSI is achieved.
We will document how community creators can contribute templates to the library and how they can make use of the templates when creating their own digital credentials.
The library will not use any unknown technology and standard products will be used when possible. The project is not dependent on any other project to be delivered successfully. It is therefore difficult to see any reason for not being successful.
Global adoption of the library is a risk that needs to be addressed. Planning to make use of the library in tool Visual DID & Credential Builder - https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/398408 currently being developed and will make it as user friendly and general purpose as possible so it can be adopted by other SSI tools as well.