February 2017 - DG-BSC - mailman.kantarainitiative.org

Sorry for the late notice; Thomas and I will be editing this week
by Eve Maler 28 Feb '17

28 Feb '17

We will plan to ask for some fresh reviews by the end of the week. No DG meetings tomorrow or Thursday. I cc'd Kantara staff to ask them to remove the calendar entries (realizing it's a bit late to let people know about the Tuesday meeting...). Thomas, let's Skype tomorrow about our 1:1 meeting schedule now that I'm back. *Eve Maler*ForgeRock Office of the CTO | VP Innovation & Emerging Technology Cell +1 425.345.6756 | Skype: xmlgrrl | Twitter: @xmlgrrl

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Northern Trust and IBM announce a blockchain for p...
by John Wunderlich 23 Feb '17

23 Feb '17

https://qz.com/916601/northern-trust-and-ibm-announce-a-blockchain-for-priv… John Wunderlich, Sent frum a mobile device, Pleez 4give speling erurz "...a world of near-total surveillance and endless record-keeping is likely to be one with less liberty, less experimentation, and certainly far less joy..." A. Michael Froomkin -- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.

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No BSC telecon this Thursday
by Eve Maler 21 Feb '17

21 Feb '17

Hi folks-- Thomas and I are going to go into heads-down editing mode over the next little while again; as I described on the call today, I'll be collecting as many action items from our meeting notes, emails, and report comments as possible. So there is no call this Thursday, February 23. I've cc'd Kantara staff to ask them to please remove it from our calendar. *Eve Maler*ForgeRock Office of the CTO | VP Innovation & Emerging Technology Cell +1 425.345.6756 | Skype: xmlgrrl | Twitter: @xmlgrrl

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Notes from BSC telecon Tuesday, February 21
by Eve Maler 21 Feb '17

21 Feb '17

http://kantarainitiative.org/confluence/display/BSC/2017-02+%28February+201… Agenda: - Report <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HOVJ3lKqOIjwCqPt5jFxfLr7wEoJ0ZVNbMGsdsW…> work Attending: Eve, Susan, Thomas, John, Devon We examined our Technologies definition of "blockchain" and Steve Wilson's email critique, and are satisfied that it shouldn't excite antibodies among the experts (see this blog post <https://blog.blockstack.org/blockchain-terminology-a-grammar-usage-guide-ff…> ). AI: Eve: Add a terminology definition of "blockchain" (cheekily pointing to the blog post). AI: Eve: Share Jim H's Wise Contracts paper with Devon et al. Jim H and Eve had a mind meld about how he believes P2P is the main value of decentralization, not the blockchain technology part. Eve can't run the Thursday call; she'll ask if Thomas can. *Eve Maler*ForgeRock Office of the CTO | VP Innovation & Emerging Technology Cell +1 425.345.6756 | Skype: xmlgrrl | Twitter: @xmlgrrl

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"The Corda Way of Thinking"
by James Hazard 21 Feb '17

21 Feb '17

This seems a very good explanation of a transacting as a sequence of record synchronizations. Index cards as ledger entries: https://gendal.me/2017/02/21/the-corda-way-of-thinking/ I don't understand, and perhaps disagree, with the notion that a subsequent step in a transaction is associated with removal of the prior step. That seems tidy, but problematic. It seems more reliable to start from the assumption that each step supplements the prior state. This is also how many systems (including legal) currently work. As in our example of the life cycle of a (paper) check: http://www.commonaccord.org/index.php?action=doc&file=bqc/fr/bnpp/a5we/Acco… Of course, it will sometimes be useful to collapse prior steps into a subsequent one, not least when the prior steps are drafts or erroneous. And the right to be forgotten or efficiency will require purging. There are parallels to this in git, which assumes retention of prior states but allows collapsing and deletion. That quibble aside, the explanation seems very clear and focuses on the essential advantage of "DLTs": common record formats and granular synchronization. -- @commonaccord

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EU- ENISA Doc
by Thorsten H. Niebuhr [WedaCon GmbH] 21 Feb '17

21 Feb '17

Just came across this one today, nice section about DL specific challenges https://www.enisa.europa.eu/publications/blockchain-security/at_download/fu… Thorsten

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Deloitte UK's SmartID, based on Ethereum/smart contracts
by Eve Maler 16 Feb '17

16 Feb '17

http://www.deloitte.co.uk/smartid/ https://github.com/SmartIdentity/smartId-contracts I'm definitely getting YABIP (yet another blockchain identity platform) overload. :-) *Eve Maler*ForgeRock Office of the CTO | VP Innovation & Emerging Technology Cell +1 425.345.6756 | Skype: xmlgrrl | Twitter: @xmlgrrl

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Notes from BSC telecon Tuesday, February 7 ("trust tree" slide attached)
by Eve Maler 16 Feb '17

16 Feb '17

http://kantarainitiative.org/confluence/display/BSC/2017-02+%28February+201… Agenda: - Report <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HOVJ3lKqOIjwCqPt5jFxfLr7wEoJ0ZVNbMGsdsW…> work Attending: Eve, Thomas, Kathleen, JohnW, Matisse, Marco, Susan, Adrian, Jeff Discussion of Jeff's critique/comments: - Is the challenge with the phrase "blockchain technology" that it is being taken to apply only to the specific encryption technique? It appears so. We discussed how there are two uses of the phrase "blockchain", where a preponderance of the world uses "blockchain" to mean the entirety of the set of technologies; Jeff is using it to mean just some subset involving encryption. Matisse's professor taught her that "In traditional finance, the bank sends an encrypted transaction between clear people, while in Bitcoin, the bank sends a clear transaction between encrypted people." We edited our Blockchain technology section slightly to make clear that we mean "the whole, not the part". - Does the ethical diamond use case get in our way because the diamond miners have challenges that other use cases <https://www.provenance.org/news/category/technology/> wouldn't, such as high-value pharmaceuticals or luxury goods? See this story <https://www.provenance.org/news/technology/blockchains-and-human-rights/> on blockchain and human rights. Susan will reach out to Everledger to ask a few questions about the workers involved in the diamond case and Eve will reach out to Vchain to ask them to fill out a questionnaire regarding their border control (not "human empowerment") use case. - What impact is there on OPAL/Enigma in thinking about where data is stored: central servers vs. distributed servers vs. clients? Enigma is on distributed servers; all the nodes act as a data server; the data is encrypted into shares. OPAL simply means moving the queries to the data. You can accept (consent to) algorithms running over your data. - We're all in agreement that the key problems of identity, such as verification/proofing, credential linking, etc., are not solved by blockchain itself. AIs: - Susan above - Eve above - Eve to send out PPT - Jeff to comment on the doc from his "new eyes" perspective *Eve Maler*ForgeRock Office of the CTO | VP Innovation & Emerging Technology Cell +1 425.345.6756 | Skype: xmlgrrl | Twitter: @xmlgrrl

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Details for our BSC telecon tomorrow
by Eve Maler 08 Feb '17

08 Feb '17

Hi folks-- Thomas is under the weather and I'm traveling tomorrow, so Devon has agreed to be our chair pro tem. We'll be using our normal Skype dial-in, but for the screenshare, we'll be using a *join.me <http://join.me> one-time code instead of findthomas*, so please join the call in order to find out the exact screenshare link (join.me/nnnnnnnnn or go to join.me in your browser and then enter the code). I've cc'd Kantara staff to ask them to please change tomorrow's calendar entry <http://kantarainitiative.org/confluence/display/BSC/Calendar>, if they're able to do so in time, to ensure people have the right info available at their fingertips. Thanks! *Eve Maler*ForgeRock Office of the CTO | VP Innovation & Emerging Technology Cell +1 425.345.6756 | Skype: xmlgrrl | Twitter: @xmlgrrl

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Notes from BSC telecon Tuesday, February 2
by Eve Maler 07 Feb '17

07 Feb '17

http://kantarainitiative.org/confluence/display/BSC/2017-02+%28February+201… Agenda: - Report <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HOVJ3lKqOIjwCqPt5jFxfLr7wEoJ0ZVNbMGsdsW…> work Attending: Eve, Adrian, Devon, Thomas, Jeff, JohnW, Kathleen Jim H has shared with Eve and Thomas his "Wise Contracts" paper, not yet published. Okay to distribute to the group prior to publication (Feb 23) so we can see if the group can use it to inform our recommendations? *AI:* Eve: Ask Jim H about distributing his paper. Eve mentioned her "Designing a New Consent Strategy <https://www.rsaconference.com/events/us17/agenda/sessions/6826-designing-a-…>" talk at RSA; her draft slides can be seen here <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4407275/IDY-R03%20Eve%20Maler%20RSAC%20…>. JohnW will be keynoting at the P&S conference <http://rebootcommunications.com/event/privsec2017/> next week; Eve will also be around. *Eve Maler*ForgeRock Office of the CTO | VP Innovation & Emerging Technology Cell +1 425.345.6756 | Skype: xmlgrrl | Twitter: @xmlgrrl

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Smart contract?
by John Wunderlich 01 Feb '17

01 Feb '17

Robot Lawyer Has Comments - Dilbert Comic Strip on 2017-02-01 | Dilbert by Scott Adams Source: http://dilbert.com/strip/2017-02-01 (via Mr. Reader) Thanks, John Wunderlich @PrivacyCDN Pleez 4give speling errurs, sent from a mobile device. -- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.

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blockchain for identity
by j stollman 01 Feb '17

01 Feb '17

I am seeking some insight from this group on the viability of blockchain for identity. The notion of a user-controlled, distributed identity mechanism strikes me as the holy grail in identity. But, like the holy grail, I am finding it difficult to believe that it is real. In particular, I don't see what the blockchain can add to identity. Yes, I recognize that blockchain does offer distributed consensus. And I while I am not persuaded that proof-of-work and/or proof-of-stake are as bulletproof as most people accept, I am not focused on these concerns. My concerns stem from what value add the blockchain provides to the inscrutable problem of identity. We can use blockchain to confirm that a particular transaction too place at a particular point in time. For example, we can use it to confirm that Alice paid Bob the $1000 he owed her within the terms of their agreement. This verification may be valuable in a subsequent credit transaction. And we can use blockchain to confirm that someone claiming to be Alice passed a background check by Bob at a fixed point in time where the background check attests to aspects of her health, home address, financial stability, national loyalty, trustworthiness with confidential data, or some combination of these. But even this information is only useful to someone who believes that Bob is trustworthy and thorough in his checking. And since Bob can never be absolutely certain that the Alice who sat in front of his desk is the Alice she claims to be, Bob's assessment -- no matter how trustworthy and thorough he is -- is always subject to some doubt. And how are we certain that it was really Bob who is asserting the claim on behalf of Alice and not an impostor Bob? Do we believe that merely possessing his private key is sufficient proof to an organized attempt to create a false Alice? I don't see anything about the blockchain that addresses these concerns which are - and always have been - at the root of identity and trust. So many people seem excited because blockchain offers a distributed governance model that uses economic incentives to encourage good behavior of vetting parties (e.g., miners). But tracking a single crypto-currency is a much more simple task that vetting identifies and the vast array of attributes of interest to relying parties - depending on their business. And unlike measuring crypto currency transactions which either do or do not take place, identify attributes are not 0/1 transactions. They are a collection of probabilities. And using blockchain does not change this. If I have a bad credit rating using one self-managed identity, why don't I just create a new identity and seek credit for it? As a newbie, I might not have a high rating, but it would likely be better than a bad rating. What am I missing here? Thank you. Jeff --------------------------------- Jeff Stollman stollman.j(a)gmail.com +1 202.683.8699 <stollman.j(a)gmail.com> Truth never triumphs — its opponents just die out. Science advances one funeral at a time. Max Planck

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