Part 1 - Proposal Submission (*Mandatory)
Name of Project:
walt.id – User onboarding processes for identity verification, authentication and access for data marketplaces built on the Ocean Ecosystem | PART 2
Note: Since we only received partial funding (1/3) in Round 14, we are submitting this follow-on proposal to request the remaining budget and deliver the proposed project in full. As a result, this proposal is almost identical to the one submitted in Round 14.
Proposal in one sentence:
New open source tools for developers that enable and facilitate the creation of user onboarding processes (incl. identity verification, risk and compliance checks, authentication and access control) for data marketplaces.
Description of the project and what problem is it solving: (You can give more details in “proposal details” section farther down.)
With this project we enable providers of data marketplaces - or other applications built on the OCEAN ecosystem - to introduce user onboarding processes by providing an onboarding framework based on Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and aligned with latest global and european developments in the field of digital identity (e.g. OpenID Foundation, Decentralized Identity Foundation, GaiaX, EBSI/ESSIF)
The underlying idea is to introduce a process by which (1) users’ identities can be verified so that (2) users can receive identity credentials (Verifiable Credentials) which (3) they can re-use for (a) onboarding (sign up, data provision without online forms) (b) identity proofing and risk analysis (verification of core identity and other identity-related data e.g. financial data) © authentication and access (login, permissioned access to resources).
(Note: Users = businesses or individuals)
Grant Deliverables: (Target deliverables for the funding provided.)
(1) Wallet Extension: Implementation of an “onboarding framework” by which individuals and organisations can prove potentially any identity attribute about themselves and receive corresponding credentials (Verifiable Credentials). The onboarding process allows to incorporate (a) self-attested data (e.g. first name, last name, mail address)(b) self-attested and verified data (e.g. public keys, wallet addresses, domains). Moreover, the process can be extended with third party verified data (e.g. by integrating eIDAS-based authentication or KYC/KYB providers).
(2) Implementation and hosting of an “onboarding portal” that (1) verifies data provided by users (e.g. self-attested and verified data like keys, wallet addresses or domain ownership) via external trust registries (e.g. DNS, blockchains, …) and customizable verification policies and (2) issues corresponding Verifiable Credentials (e.g. user verification, membership) after a user went through the onboarding process (within the wallet; see Point 1). To facilitate the adoption and usage for web3 use cases, the onboarding portal will be able to link identity data to web3 handles like ethereum addresses based on the capability to connect metamask wallets.
Note: This deliverable has mostly been shipped. The main part of this deliverable that is still open is the functionality to link identity data (e.g. verifier core identity from KYC checks) with web3 handles (e.g. ETH addresses).
(3) Trust registry implementation and hosting on the domain name services (DNS, via did:web), which is used to anchor and publish public keys, potentially including eDIAS keys.
Note: This deliverable has been shipped.
(4) We will write and publish a technical documentation (via docs.walt.id)
Note that the project will utilise the results of our last grants (Rounds 10, 12).
Which category best describes your project? Pick one.
- X Build / improve applications or integrations to Ocean
Are you applying for an earmark?
- X General
What is the final product?
The project will result in three products:
(1) Identity wallet extension to support onboarding processes / functionality (from within the wallet)
(2) Onboarding service that verifies data provided by wallets (see “point 1”) and issues credentials as proof of identity-related information. Also, the onboarding service will be able to connect with web3 wallets in order to link identity data with web3 handles for web3 use cases.
(3) DNS-based trust registry for (a) self-hosting or (b) as a hosted services
Note: The deliverables (2) and (3) have already been shipped partly. See the section on “Grant Deliverables” for more details.
All of these deliverables are/will be published under the permissive Apache 2 license in our GitHub library: walt.id · GitHub.
Here are possible “value add” criteria. A question will follow.
- Usage of Ocean — how well might the project drive usage of Ocean. Measure with e.g. Data Consume Volume, # assets published, TVL, Network Revenue, # active users, # funded projects.
- Viability — what is the chance of success of the project
- Community active-ness — how active is the team in the community
- Adding value to the overall community — how well does the outcome of the project add value to the Ocean community / ecosystem
**Question on “value add” criteria: which one or more of the criteria will your project focus on? Why do you believe your team will do well on those criteria? **
We wish to note that this project is closely aligned with the value created for the OCEAN ecosystem by our last two projects, i.e. to enable the use of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) for developers within the OCEAN ecosystem. Following the idea underlying our last project, we will continue to provide more and more tools to facilitate the integration of SSI within the OCEAN ecosystem for developers.
For the current project proposal, we wish to offer the following practical examples and elaborations to illustrate the value of the project for the Ocean ecosystem and anyone who is building services and application in it:
To unlock the free and economically viable exchange of data - especially in decentralized data marketplaces / ecosystems - it is important to know who offers data or data sources (let’s call them “suppliers”) and it can be advantageous to know who is buying data (lets call them “consumers”). Self-sovereign identity is important because it allows individuals and companies to bring their own identity. Moreover, this data can easily be verified (validity, integrity, provance, …) in a secure and privacy-preserving fashion.
For suppliers this means that they can prove identity attributes relevant for consumers. Such attributes can range from core identity information such as their legal name, status or incorporation to any type of certification about their organisations or data to reviews about the data offerings (e.g. quality) from former clients.
For consumers this means that they can prove certain identity attributes which may be relevant for suppliers (or other stakeholders like brokers), such as for customer due diligence processes which ensure that data is only being provided to entities that meet certain regulatory or ethical requirements or financial information (e.g. proof of liquidity, proof of bank account) which can facilitate flexible payment options.
The proposed project will enable a future where this is possible.
More concretely, it will result in a reusable (1) onboarding framework (2) onboarding portal and (3) trust registry that will allow developers to build and customize their own user onboarding processes for the sake of providing users with relevant credentials (e.g. wallet addresses, certifications, financial information) to improve user experience and success of their own services and applications within the OCEAN ecosystem. (Note that the creation of custom onboarding services would then require the integration with trusted data providers (e.g. KYC/KYB providers for core identity attributes,…).
In addition, the project will be highly relevant for the Ocean ecosystem in the context of GaiaX:
- An SSI-based onboarding process is an essential requirement for Gaia-X and our implementation will strengthen Ocean Protocol within the Gaia-X architecture.
- The project will also facilitate adoption of Ocean Protocol for enterprises and organizations by providing the foundation for equipping projects with user verification processes.
- Our open source software and the (hosted) project will enable new projects to build on top of OCEAN.
Funding Requested: (Amount of USD your team is requesting - see the available funding levels here)
13.300 (thirteen thousand three hundred)
Proposal Wallet Address: (must have minimum 500 OCEAN in wallet to be eligible. This wallet is where you will receive the grant amount if selected).
0xa4c6c2013810661a6750443aEF86cFeAc983e07f
Have you previously received an OceanDAO Grant? If yes, please specify what round(s) and how much was granted each round.
Y (Rounds 10, 12, 14)
Team Website (if applicable):
Twitter Handle (if applicable):
Project lead email:
dominik@walt.id
Country of Residence:
Austria
Part 2 - Team
IMPORTANT: See Criterion (4). One Project/One proposal on communicating “Core Team” versus “Advisor”. You may be ineligible if not correctly updated.
2.1 Core Team
For each team member, give their name, role and background. An example is below.
Dominik Beron
Role: CEO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikberon
Email: dominik@walt.id
Background: Serial entrepreneur with business and legal backgrounds.
Identity expert to the EU Commission and co-author of new EU identity standards (EBSI, ESSIF).
Philipp Potisk
Role: CTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-potisk
GitHub: philpotisk · GitHub
Email: phil@walt.id
Background: Serial entrepreneur and experienced technical leader. Over 15 years of experience in security and identity including biometric passports.
Severin Stampler
Role: Chief Architect & Engineer | Technical leader and developer.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/severin-stampler-714605140
GitHub: severinstampler (Severin Stampler) · GitHub
Email: severin@walt.id
Background: Over 15 years of experience in computer science, software design and development (security, big data, AI/ML, …).
Fatima Beron
Role: People and Operations
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatima-beron-122a035b
Email: fatima@walt.id
Background: Serial entrepreneur, Ex-Deloitte Consultant, Former start-up COO, Forbes 30 under 30 (US, DACH).
2.2 Advisors
For each Advisor, give their name, role and background. Use the same format as in “Core Team”.
deltaDAO AG
Website: https://delta-dao.com
LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/deltadao
GitHub: deltaDAO · GitHub
deltaDAO AG will assist with onboarding into the Ocean and Gaia-X communities as well as any questions regarding the Ocean Tech Stack. deltaDAO AG will not receive any of the fundings raised within this proposal.
Part 3 - Proposal Details (*Recommended)
3.1 Details
Details of the proposal:
3.2 If in Category “Build / improve applications or integration to Ocean”:
Is the software open-source?
Y
**If open-source, please specify the license. If no, please specify why not open-source. **
Apache 2
Project software can be found at:
3.7 If the project includes software:
Are there any mockups or designs to date? If yes, please share details / links.
N
**Please given an overview of the technology stack. **
For details on the technology stack, please consult our knowledge base and documentation: https://docs.walt.id
3.9 Project Deliverables - Roadmap
Any prior work completed thus far? Details?
Yes. Firstly, this project is building on the past projects we submitted (10, 12). Also, we partly shipped our deliverables from Round 14 as we got partial funding. See also the section on “Grant Deliverables” for more information.
What is the project roadmap? That is: what are key milestones, and the target date for each milestone. Please make sure that one milestone is about publishing your results, e.g. as a medium blog post.
03/2021:
- Remaining implementation of the “Onboarding Service” (i.e. linking web3 handles to verified identity data)
- Implementation of “Onboarding Framework” (Wallet Extension)
- Publication of documentation
What is the team’s future plans and intentions? Is there maintenance? Possible extensions to the work?
This project extends our core open source product suite: the SSI Kit and recently launched Wallet. Our products are already used by governments across Europe and businesses across industries. Also, we are constantly growing our developer community. Consequently, we will continue to maintain our open source software / libs and continue to add features as well as new products.