Primordial soup describes the early conditions that formed the basis for life. The ingredients rich in oxygen, elements, and nutrients were a birthplace for early life.
The current stage of technology and the internet has led us to a point where it's increasingly entangled in our daily lives. The rails for exchanging information and value are in place.
Bhutan recently became the first nation to anchor its national digital identity system on Ethereum. Why does this have to be on a blockchain?
Self Sovereign Identity gives users three assurances:
1. Custody - User controls credentials 2. Selective Disclosure - User chooses when to present 3. Permissionless Verification - Verification works without permission from issuers
Developing SSI using open source was significantly cheaper and less complex than establishing their own PKI system. There's a separation of responsibilities that enables self sovereign identity:
1. NDI Trust Registry - Who are trusted entities that issue credentials 2. Verifiable Data Registry - Material used to validate credentials
The data registry is where the cryptographic material needed to validate credentials lives, with the actual credential in the citizen's wallet. Permissioned writes for trusted issuers, permissionless reads for anyone to verify.