今天的专栏作家，1Kosmos的HenVimaladalalal，写了一篇关于如何使Web3成为可能的分布式身份的文章。(来源:Just_Super，盖蒂图片俱乐部)
设备、系统和平台的急剧上升，释放了数字技术的显著进步，并为几年前难以想象的功能打开了大门。就像紧急SOS功能一样，它可以检测苹果用户何时会摔倒，并在此人未解除警报时自动呼叫紧急服务。
然而，随着数字业务的深入组织，经常会出现一个棘手的问题：如何管理身份，以及如何验证用户在数十、数百甚至数千种物理和虚拟资产中的身份。
无论具体情况如何，都有一个共同的要求：在任何给定的数字系统中建立一个人或设备的信息或算法表示。虽然存储在这个表示中的内容的细节可能会因各种要求和环境而有所不同，但确保其身份的真实性和隐私性是非常重要的。
因此，去中心化身份数据的想法获得了动力。这种方法——通常基于零信任的安全方法——结合分布式数字技术，通常式数字技术相结合。该方法确保有价值的数据不存储在中央存储库中，并作为一个不可变的验证系统。它还允许用户控制实体可以知道多少或多少。
请记住，早期的互联网协议没有公共和开源的身份水平。网络3是基于这样一个概念，即用户应该在互联网上拥有自己的身份，并且只有当他们决定这样做时，他们才能显示自己身份的一部分。例如，私人区块链上的分布式身份可以作为一个容器，用于允许发表与之相关的声明。
使用这种模式，政府机构可以证明用户的年龄和出生地点，但他们不知道任何其他关于用户数字身份的信息，例如未经用户同意共享其他信息的实际生日。同样，分布式数字身份可以包含用户的交易历史，金融服务可以在不知道用户出生地点的情况下查询交易历史。此外，在一个网络上开发的数字身份可以移植到其他网络。
身份问题
在最基本的层面上，数字ID的概念与物理ID没有太大的区别。两者都取决于对给定数字设备或系统用户的能力进行验证。例如，在物理世界中，这可能是一个数字徽章或钥匙卡进入办公楼。在虚拟世界中，等价物是生物特征或代币。
然而，物理系统和数字系统在重要方面存在差异。在过去，安全的地方可以通过墙壁、门、钥匙、摄像头和报警系统来保护资产。这个概念集中在确保周围的安全。然而，在当今高度互联的数字世界中，托管和虚拟服务之间的界限很难定义——中央数据存储库往往会增加风险。如果犯罪分子通过防御系统从特权用户那里窃取网络捕鱼或社会项目的访问证据，他们可以访问敏感资产。这种方法还要求用户创建并记住多种加密货币。
存储、管理和保护身份的复杂性正在增加。如今，一个普通人拥有数十个甚至数百个账户和加密货币，企业必须保护员工和客户的身份数据，并确保用户能够轻松访问该系统。这种复杂而分散的框架可能会导致安全问题，主要是因为它允许最终用户在不损害他们的登录凭证的情况下承担重大责任。
身份验证方法较好。
分散的ID和web3解决了这个挑战。它围绕一个名为自我主权的概念展开。个人使用数字钱包来保存凭证和验证他们需要的实体,而不是处理大量的ID在不同的网站和平台或信任所有内容的第三方提供者。该框架简化了身份管理，增加了对身份的保护，并允许用户更好地控制他们的身份，以及他们如何通过各种服务提供商(如金融机构和雇主)进行身份验证。
区块链技术起源于一个在线货币平台，为用户控制他们的身份数据提供了一种去中心化ID框架的方法。它提供了一个不可改变的、安全和灵活的私人账户，这些账户最初支持身份保护。在数字钱包中存储身份可以锁定数据，防止敏感数据的可追溯性，而不是中央服务器或其他机构。
分散ID带来了显著的好处。该框架减少了数据碎片和加密货币的重用；它排除了第三方通过主权身份；它通常很容易使用（想想苹果Pay或谷歌Pay）；此外，最重要的是，它提供了更好的黑客保护和更方便的用户体验。
虽然用户仍然可以通过不良行为泄露数据，但使用实时生物识别技术和高级加密货币和加密货币技术锁定身份验证和交易数据是非常安全的。
这个概念继续受到推动。在过去的几年里，微软、Verizon、万事达卡和其他公司已经开始将分散的ID技术集成到各种应用程序、系统和标准中。更重要的是，分散的ID基金会、万维网络联盟和Linux基金会社区Hyperledger和其他组织已经接受了这个概念，包括支持和建立新工具。
ID去中心化变得真实。
分散ID不断发展，采用率也在提高。根据Gartner的一份报告，预计到2023年，企业许可区块链应用程序的35%将与分散应用程序和服务整合。
结合生物识别技术，这些组织越来越意识到区块链技术私人身份管理的价值；身份证明用于证书验证；多因素身份验证（无笨拙的一次性代码MFA）；以及更简单的分布式账本和区块链体验。
分散的ID和web3旨在提供一个单一的事实来源，其中用户（如消费者）是身份验证器。使用区块链，身份不能被篡改，但系统可以对其进行审计。更重要的是，该框架引入了包括跨组织执行合同和支持不同类型的新数字交易在内的新的创新机会。
这种零信任和始终验证的方法提供了透明度、可用性和安全性，这是数字世界迫切需要的。

Today’s columnist, HenVimaladalalal of 1Kosmos, writes about how distributed identity is made possible with Web3. (Source: Just_Super, Getty Images Club)
The dramatic rise in devices, systems, and platforms has unleashed significant advancements in digital technology and opened the door to capabilities that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Like the Emergency SOS feature, it can detect when an Apple user is about to fall and automatically call emergency services if the person fails to clear the alarm.
However, as digital businesses become more deeply organized, a thorny issue often arises: how to manage identities and authenticate users across dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of physical and virtual assets.
Whatever the specific situation, there is a common requirement: to build an informational or algorithmic representation of a person or device in any given digital system. While the details of what is stored in this representation may vary depending on various requirements and circumstances, it is important to ensure the authenticity and privacy of its identity.
Thus, the idea of ​​decentralizing identity data gained momentum. This approach—often based on a zero-trust approach to security—combines distributed digital technologies, often with conventional digital technologies. This approach ensures that valuable data is not stored in a central repository and serves as an immutable verification system. It also allows the user to control how much or how little an entity can know.
Remember that early Internet protocols did not have a public and open source level of identity. Web 3 is based on the concept that users should have their own identity on the internet, and only be able to reveal part of their identity if they decide to do so. For example, a distributed identity on a private blockchain can serve as a container for allowing statements related to it to be made.
Using this model, government agencies can prove a user's age and place of birth, but they do not know any other information about the user's digital identity, such as the actual birthday without the user's consent to share other information. Likewise, a distributed digital identity can contain a user’s transaction history, which financial services can query without knowing where the user was born. Additionally, digital identities developed on one network can be ported to other networks.
Identity Issues
At the most basic level, the concept of a digital ID is not that different from a physical ID. Both depend on validating the capabilities of the user of a given digital device or system. For example, in the physical world this might be a digital badge or key card to enter an office building. In the virtual world, the equivalent is a biometric or token.
However, physical and digital systems differ in important ways. In the past, secure places could protect assets through walls, doors, keys, cameras, and alarm systems. This concept focuses on ensuring that surroundingsafety. However, in today’s hyper-connected digital world, the line between hosted and virtual services is difficult to define – and central data repositories often increase risk. If criminals steal evidence of access to phishing or social programs from privileged users through defenses, they can gain access to sensitive assets. This method also requires users to create and remember multiple passwords.
The complexity of storing, managing and protecting identities is increasing. Today, the average person has dozens or even hundreds of accounts and passwords, and businesses must protect employee and customer identity data and ensure users can easily access the system. This complex and fragmented framework can lead to security issues, mainly because it allows end users to assume significant responsibility without compromising their login credentials.
Authentication method is better.
Decentralized ID and web3 solve this challenge. It revolves around a concept called self-sovereignty. Individuals use digital wallets to store credentials and authenticate the entities they need, rather than dealing with numerous IDs across different websites and platforms or trusting third-party providers for everything. The framework simplifies identity management, increases the protection of identities, and allows users to have greater control over their identities and how they authenticate through various service providers such as financial institutions and employers.
Blockchain technology originated as an online currency platform and provides a way for users to control their identity data through a decentralized ID framework. It provides an immutable, secure and flexible private account that initially supports identity protection. Storing identities in digital wallets locks down data, preventing traceability of sensitive data, rather than to a central server or other authority.
Decentralized ID brings significant benefits. The framework reduces data fragmentation and password reuse; it excludes third parties via sovereign identities; it is generally easy to use (think Apple Pay or Google Pay); and, most importantly, it provides better hacking protection and a more convenient user experience.
While users can still leak data through bad behavior, authentication and transaction data is extremely secure using real-time biometrics and advanced encryption and cryptography to lock down authentication and transaction data.
This concept continues to gain momentum. Over the past few years, Microsoft, Verizon, Mastercard, and other companies have begun integrating decentralized ID technology into a variety of applications, systems, and standards. What's more, the Decentralized ID Foundation, the World Wide Web Consortium, and the Linux Foundation Community Hyperledger and other organizations have embraced the concept, including supporting and building new tools.
ID decentralization becomes real.
Decentralized ID continues to evolve and adoption rates are increasing. According to a report by Gartner, it is expected that by 2023, 35% of enterprise permissioned blockchain applications will be integrated with decentralized applications and services.
In conjunction with biometrics, these organizations are increasingly realizing the value of blockchain technology for private identity management; proof of identity for certificate verification; multi-factor authentication (no clunky one-time code MFA); and simpler distributed Ledger and blockchain experience.
Decentralized ID and web3 aim to provide a single source of truth where the user (like the consumer) is the authenticator. With blockchain, identities cannot be tampered with, but the system can audit them. What’s more, the framework introduces new innovation opportunities including enforcing contracts across organizations and supporting different types of new digital transactions.
This zero-trust and always-verified approach provides the transparency, availability and security that the digital world desperately needs.