Grand Unified Theory for aligning efforts in the various decentralized communities.

1. A Grand Unified Theory of Trust
Daniel Hardman — January 2023 — https://bit.ly/3BHxUCb

2. Thesis
Several communities have pioneered innovations to solve the trust equation.
The work is mostly complementary, not competitive.
Now is the time to coalesce and unify.
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3. PROVENANT
Pioneers
Independent (as survival requires)
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photo credit: Minnesota Library Publishing Project

4. Maturing Ecosystems
Specialized (as mass adoption requires)
photo credit: postmodern.gr

5. On Simplicity
I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would
give my right arm for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes (apocryphal)
When a design begins to get simpler again, it's a very good sign.
—Daniel's amateur opinion

6. Scope and Focus
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KERI

7. KERI
Notable Successes
● Key management and multisig
● Authenticity
● Serialization (SAIDs, SADs, CESR)
● Verifiable data structures (ACDCs)
● GLEIF's governance framework - org root of trust
● IETF bridge

8. Aries
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Notable Successes
● Agents/wallets from many vendors in production
● Interoperability profiles, formal release
management
● Bridges to Hyperledger, W3C, and DIF
● Bridges to other blockchains and credential types
● Formal test suite with regularly published results

9. DIDComm
Notable Successes
● Reusable recipes/ingredients and methodology
for protocols
● Composability (build arbitrary high-level protocols
from simpler ones)
● Transport independence
● Enveloping and routing for confidentiality
● Mindshare: peer-to-peer, n-wise, offline

10. DIF
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Notable Successes
● Universal resolver
● Formal DIDComm spec + website and extensions
● Formal peer DID spec
● Healthy inventory of implementations
● Bridges to OIDC / LDAP / IAM; DWN / SOLID / EDV
● Credential manifest and presentation exchange

11. Trust Over IP
Notable Successes
● Mindshare: governance, especially ecosystem and
network-of-networks
● Narrow waist / four layer model
● Formal requirements for tech stack
● Formal terminology, glossaries, and mental
models
● Bridge to ISO

12. What if pioneers became interdependent and specialized?

13. Grand Unified Theory
T = k ∙ T = g ∙ T = p ∙ T = a ∙ T = d
authentic governed peer agent data
T = kgpad

14. Who specializes in what?
DIDComm
composable,
confidential protocols
ToIP
governance, stack
integration, ISO
Aries
agents, formal SSI
interop, W3C and OWF
bridges KERI
authenticity, key mgmt,
serialization, IETF,
verifiable data
structures
DIF
implementation,
interop with DWN and
non-decentralized
identity tech

15. Aren't interdependencies bad?
● Technical coupling isn't the same as human cooperation.
● Human psychological maturation: dependent → independent →
interdependent.
● Einstein: "Make things as simple as possible, but no simpler."
● None of us can do it all anyway.

16. PROVENANT
KERI delta
● [eventually] Adopt DIDComm's composable
protocols to get peer-to-peer, n-wise, offline.
● [eventually] Design a DIDComm protocol for
contractually protected disclosure.
● [eventually] Adopt (and improve) DIDComm's
confidential envelopes/routing to complete
privacy story.
● [ASAP] Produce "keri lite" DID impl to replace
peer DID libs.

17. Aries delta
● [eventually] Add KERI and ACDC support to
wallets.
● [ASAP] Deprecate peer DIDs in favor of "keri
lite."
● [eventually] Assume ambassadorship with OWF.

18. PROVENANT
DIDComm delta
● [eventually] Adopt CESR serialization for
envelopes.
● [eventually] Drop authcrypt and adopt KERI's
"sign everything" philosophy.
● [ASAP] Work with DIF to transition peer DIDs
to "keri lite."

19. DIF delta
● [ASAP] Work with DIDComm community to
transition peer DIDs to "keri lite."
● [ASAP] Double down on machine-readable
governance collab with ToIP.
● [eventually] Collab with ToIP on impl of 4-layer
stack, and to bring next DIDComm to IETF
and ISO.
● [eventually] Rationalize interplay of DWN, EDV,
and DIDComm.

20. PROVENANT
ToIP delta
● [ASAP] Double down on trust
registry/machine-readable governance
collab with DIF.
● [ASAP] Explain narrow waist as synthesis of
● [eventually] Collab with DIF on impl of 4-layer
stack, and to bring next DIDComm to IETF
and ISO.

21. Concrete Proposals for All
● Change mindset from independent/competitive to collaborative
● Immediate formal announcement of GUT (Grand Unified Theory) alliance
● Regular joint press releases to add gravitas to one another's efforts
● Collaborative initiatives (esp. around narrow waist)
● Establish a common pipeline for IETF and ISO
● Quarterly GUT (Grand Unified Theory) checkup
● Look at member sharing (discounts for combined memberships)
● Round-robin meeting hosting