Patent Description:
Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) are a new type of identifier, which are independent from any centralized registry, identity provider, or certificate authority. Distributed ledger technology (such as blockchain) provides the opportunity for using fully decentralized identifiers. Distributed ledger technology uses globally distributed ledgers to record transactions between two or more parties in a verifiable way. Once a transaction is recorded, the data in the section of ledger cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent sections of ledger, which provides a fairly secure platform. Since a DID is generally not controlled by a centralized management system but rather is owned by an owner of the DID, DIDs are sometimes referred to as identities without authority.

Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments describe herein may be practiced.

<CIT> discloses a location privacy protection method based on a dynamic pseudonym exchange area in the field of vehicle networking location privacy security protection. Vehicles in an on-vehicle ad hoc network are registered and dynamic pseudonyms are generated during driving. The pseudonyms are updated periodically. The vehicle dynamically establishes a pseudonym exchange area and performs pseudonym exchange to enhance location privacy. After the pseudonym exchange is completed, the vehicle that initiates the pseudonym exchange uploads the pseudonym exchange to a regional certification authority which re-establishes the connection between a real ID of the vehicle and the pseudonym by analyzing the pseudonym exchange log.

<CIT> relates to systems and methods for enforcing centralized privacy controls in de-centralized systems where data related to a data subject can be used and stored in a distributed ledger data structure, such as a blockchain.

It is the object of the present invention to facilitate an improved selection of pseudonymous names for use by a DID owner when interacting with third party entities in a de-centralized network that implements a distributed ledger.

The object is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims.

Embodiments disclosed herein are related to computing systems and methods for generating one or more pseudonymous names for use by a Decentralized Identifier (DID) owner when interacting with third party entities. An indication is received from a DID owner who is associated with a DID. The indication indicates that the DID owner desires to interact with various third party entities. A list is generated of pseudonymous names that are to be used in place of the DID as the DID owner interacts with the one or more third party entities. A selection is received for a specific one of the generated pseudonymous names. The selected specific pseudonymous name is bound to the DID so that the selected specific pseudonymous name is used during the interaction.

The embodiments disclosed herein represent a technical advance over existing systems. For example, a DID is often used as an identifier for a DID owner during interactions with a third party entity. For instance, the DID may be used to show the identity of the DID owner when he or she makes a public comment on a blog post or the like. Although allowing public access to the DID may not cause the actual identity of the DID owner to become known, there may still be security and privacy issues with such public disclosure. Accordingly, the DID owner may desire to use a different identifier in place of the DID.

The embodiments disclosed herein provide a way to generate various pseudonymous name that may be bound to the DID. The pseudonymous names may then be used in place of the DID during interactions with the third party entities. For example, in the case of the comment on the blog entry the DID owner <NUM> may use a pseudonymous name instead of the DID as an identifier when making the comment. In this way the DID owner is able to achieve increased security and privacy since the DID itself is not shown in the comments section of the blog. However, since the DID is bound to the pseudonymous name the advantages provided by having a DID tied to a decentralized network are still available to the DID owner.

Because the principles described herein may be performed in the context of a computing system, some introductory discussion of a computing system will be described with respect to <FIG>. Then, this description will return to the principles of a decentralized identifier (DID) platform with respect to the remaining figures.

As illustrated in <FIG>, in its most basic configuration, a computing system <NUM> typically includes at least one hardware processing unit <NUM> and memory <NUM>. The processing unit <NUM> may include a general-purpose processor and may also include a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other specialized circuit. The memory <NUM> may be physical system memory, which may be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination of the two. The term "memory" may also be used herein to refer to non-volatile mass storage such as physical storage media. If the computing system is distributed, the processing, memory and/or storage capability may be distributed as well.

The computing system <NUM> also has thereon multiple structures often referred to as an "executable component". For instance, the memory <NUM> of the computing system <NUM> is illustrated as including executable component <NUM>. The term "executable component" is the name for a structure that is well understood to one of ordinary skill in the art in the field of computing as being a structure that can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For instance, when implemented in software, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the structure of an executable component may include software objects, routines, methods, and so forth, that may be executed on the computing system, whether such an executable component exists in the heap of a computing system, or whether the executable component exists on computer-readable storage media.

In such a case, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the structure of the executable component exists on a computer-readable medium such that, when interpreted by one or more processors of a computing system (e.g., by a processor thread), the computing system is caused to perform a function. Such structure may be computer readable directly by the processors (as is the case if the executable component were binary). Alternatively, the structure may be structured to be interpretable and/or compiled (whether in a single stage or in multiple stages) so as to generate such binary that is directly interpretable by the processors. Such an understanding of example structures of an executable component is well within the understanding of one of ordinary skill in the art of computing when using the term "executable component".

While not all computing systems require a user interface, in some embodiments, the computing system <NUM> includes a user interface system <NUM> for use in interfacing with a user. The user interface system <NUM> may include output mechanisms 112A as well as input mechanisms 112B. The principles described herein are not limited to the precise output mechanisms 112A or input mechanisms 112B as such will depend on the nature of the device. However, output mechanisms 112A might include, for instance, speakers, displays, tactile output, virtual or augmented reality, holograms and so forth. Examples of input mechanisms 112B might include, for instance, microphones, touchscreens, virtual or augmented reality, holograms, cameras, keyboards, mouse or other pointer input, sensors of any type, and so forth.

The remaining figures may discuss various computing system which may correspond to the computing system <NUM> previously described. The computing systems of the remaining figures include various components or functional blocks that may implement the various embodiments disclosed herein as will be explained. The various components or functional blocks may be implemented on a local computing system or may be implemented on a distributed computing system that includes elements resident in the cloud or that implement aspects of cloud computing. The various components or functional blocks may be implemented as software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The computing systems of the remaining figures may include more or less than the components illustrated in the figures and some of the components may be combined as circumstances warrant.

Some introductory discussion of a decentralized identifier (DID) and the environment in which they are created and reside will now be given with respect to <FIG>. As illustrated in <FIG>, a DID owner <NUM> may own or control a DID <NUM> that represents an identity of the DID owner <NUM>. The DID owner <NUM> may register a DID using a creation and registration service, which will be explained in more detail below.

The DID owner <NUM> may be any entity that could benefit from a DID. For example, the DID owner <NUM> may be a human being or an organization of human beings. Such organizations might include a company, department, government, agency, or any other organization or group of organizations. Each individual human being might have a DID while the organization(s) to which each belongs might likewise have a DID.

The DID owner <NUM> may alternatively be a machine, system, or device, or a collection of machine(s), device(s) and/or system(s). In still other embodiments, the DID owner <NUM> may be a subpart of a machine, system or device. For instance, a device could be a printed circuit board, where the subpart of that circuit board are individual components of the circuit board. In such embodiments, the machine or device may have a DID and each subpart may also have a DID. A DID owner might also be a software component such as the executable component <NUM> described above with respect to <FIG>. An example of a complex executable component <NUM> might be an artificial intelligence. Accordingly, an artificial intelligence may also own a DID.

Thus, the DID owner <NUM> may be any entity, human or non-human, that is capable of creating the DID <NUM> or at least having the DID <NUM> created for and/or associated with them. Although the DID owner <NUM> is shown as having a single DID <NUM>, this need not be the case as there may be any number of DIDs associated with the DID owner <NUM> as circumstances warrant.

As mentioned, the DID owner <NUM> may create and register the DID <NUM>. The DID <NUM> may be any identifier that may be associated with the DID owner <NUM>. Preferably, that identifier is unique to that DID owner <NUM>, at least within a scope in which the DID is anticipated to be in use. As an example, the identifier may be a locally unique identifier, and perhaps more desirably a globally unique identifier for identity systems anticipated to operate globally. In some embodiments, the DID <NUM> may be a Uniform Resource identifier (URI) (such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL)) or other pointer that relates the DID owner <NUM> to mechanisms to engage in trustable interactions with the DID owner <NUM>.

The DID <NUM> is "decentralized" because it does not require a centralized, third party management system for generation, management, or use. Accordingly, the DID <NUM> remains under the control of the DID owner <NUM>. This is different from conventional centralized IDs which base trust on centralized authorities and that remain under control of corporate directory services, certificate authorities, domain name registries, or other centralized authority (referred to collectively as "centralized authorities" herein). Accordingly, the DID <NUM> may be any identifier that is under the control of the DID owner <NUM> and that is independent of any centralized authority.

In some embodiments, the structure of the DID <NUM> may be as simple as a user name or some other human-understandable term. However, in other embodiments, for increased security, the DID <NUM> may preferably be a random string of numbers and letters. In one embodiment, the DID <NUM> may be a string of <NUM> numbers and letters. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are not dependent on any specific implementation of the DID <NUM>. In a very simple example, the DID <NUM> is shown within the figures as "123ABC".

As also shown in <FIG>, the DID owner <NUM> has control of a private key <NUM> and public key <NUM> pair that is associated with the DID <NUM>. Because the DID <NUM> is independent of any centralized authority, the private key <NUM> should at all times be fully in control of the DID owner <NUM>. That is, the private and public keys should be generated in a decentralized manner that ensures that they remain under the control of the DID owner <NUM>.

As will be described in more detail to follow, the private key <NUM> and public key <NUM> pair may be generated on a device controlled by the DID owner <NUM>. The private key <NUM> and public key <NUM> pair should not be generated on a server controlled by any centralized authority as this may cause the private key <NUM> and public key <NUM> pair to not be fully under the control of the DID owner <NUM> at all times. Although <FIG> and this description have described a private and public key pair, it will also be noted that other types of reasonable cryptographic information and/or mechanisms may also be used as circumstances warrant.

<FIG> also illustrates a DID document <NUM> that is associated with the DID <NUM>. As will be explained in more detail to follow, the DID document <NUM> may be generated at the time that the DID <NUM> is created. In its simplest form, the DID document <NUM> describes how to use the DID <NUM>. Accordingly, the DID document <NUM> includes a reference to the DID <NUM>, which is the DID that is described by the DID document <NUM>. In some embodiments, the DID document <NUM> may be implemented according to methods specified by a distributed ledger <NUM> (such as blockchain) that will be used to store a representation of the DID <NUM> as will be explained in more detail to follow. Thus, the DID document <NUM> may have different methods depending on the specific distributed ledger.

The DID document <NUM> also includes the public key <NUM> created by the DID owner <NUM> or some other equivalent cryptographic information. The public key <NUM> may be used by third party entities that are given permission by the DID owner <NUM> to access information and data owned by the DID owner <NUM>. The public key <NUM> may also be used to verify that the DID owner <NUM> in fact owns or controls the DID <NUM>.

The DID document <NUM> may also include authentication information <NUM>. The authentication information <NUM> may specify one or more mechanisms by which the DID owner <NUM> is able to prove that the DID owner <NUM> owns the DID <NUM>. In other words, the mechanisms of the authentication information <NUM> may show proof of a binding between the DID <NUM> (and thus its DID owner <NUM>) and the DID document <NUM>. In one embodiment, the authentication information <NUM> may specify that the public key <NUM> be used in a signature operation to prove the ownership of the DID <NUM>. Alternatively, or in addition, the authentication information <NUM> may specify that the public key <NUM> be used in a biometric operation to prove ownership of the DID <NUM>. Accordingly, the authentication information <NUM> may include any number of mechanisms by which the DID owner <NUM> is able to prove that the DID owner <NUM> owns the DID <NUM>.

The DID document <NUM> may also include authorization information <NUM>. The authorization information <NUM> may allow the DID owner <NUM> to authorize third party entities the rights to modify the DID document <NUM> or some part of the document without giving the third party the right to prove ownership of the DID <NUM>. For example, the authorization information <NUM> may allow the third party to update any designated set of one or more fields in the DID document <NUM> using any designated update mechanism. Alternatively, the authorization information may allow the third party to limit the usages of DID <NUM> by the DID owner <NUM> for a specified time period. This may be useful when the DID owner <NUM> is a minor child and the third party is a parent or guardian of the child. The authorization information <NUM> may allow the parent or guardian to limit use of the DID owner <NUM> until such time as the child is no longer a minor.

The authorization information <NUM> may also specify one or more mechanisms that the third party will need to follow to prove they are authorized to modify the DID document <NUM>. In some embodiments, these mechanisms may be similar to those discussed previously with respect to the authentication information <NUM>.

The DID document <NUM> may also include one or more service endpoints <NUM>. A service endpoint may include a network address at which a service operates on behalf of the DID owner <NUM>. Examples of specific services include discovery services, social networks, file storage services such as identity servers or hubs, and verifiable claim repository services. Accordingly, the service endpoints <NUM> operate as pointers for the services that operate on behalf of the DID owner <NUM>. These pointers may be used by the DID owner <NUM> or by third party entities to access the services that operate on behalf of the DID owner <NUM>. Specific examples of service endpoints <NUM> will be explained in more detail to follow.

The DID document <NUM> may further include identification information <NUM>. The identification information <NUM> may include personally identifiable information such as the name, address, occupation, family members, age, hobbies, interests, or the like of DID owner <NUM>. Accordingly, the identification information <NUM> listed in the DID document <NUM> may represent a different persona of the DID owner <NUM> for different purposes.

A persona may be pseudo anonymous. As an example, the DID owner <NUM> may include a pen name in the DID document when identifying him or her as a writer posting articles on a blog. A persona may be fully anonymous. As an example, the DID owner <NUM> may only want to disclose his or her job title or other background data (e.g., a school teacher, an FBI agent, an adult older than <NUM> years old, etc.) but not his or her name in the DID document. As yet another example, a persona may be specific to who the DID owner <NUM> is as an individual. As an example, the DID owner <NUM> may include information identifying him or her as a volunteer for a particular charity organization, an employee of a particular corporation, an award winner of a particular award, and so forth.

The DID document <NUM> may also include attestation information <NUM>. The attestation information <NUM> may be any information that is associated with the DID owner <NUM>'s background. For instance, the attestation information <NUM> may be (but not limited to) a qualification, an achievement, a government ID, a government right such as a passport or a driver's license, a payment provider or bank account, a university degree or other educational history, employment status and history, or any other information about the DID owner <NUM>'s background. In some embodiments, the DID owner <NUM> collects various signed attestations that are included in the attestation information from different third party entities.

The DID document <NUM> may also include various other information <NUM>. In some embodiments, the other information <NUM> may include metadata specifying when the DID document <NUM> was created and/or when it was last modified. In other embodiments, the other information <NUM> may include cryptographic proofs of the integrity of the DID document <NUM>. In still further embodiments, the other information <NUM> may include additional information that is either specified by the specific method implementing the DID document or desired by the DID owner <NUM>.

<FIG> also illustrates a distributed ledger <NUM>. The distributed ledger <NUM> may be any decentralized, distributed network that includes various computing systems that are in communication with each other. For example, the distributed ledger <NUM> may include a first distributed computing system <NUM>, a second distributed computing system <NUM>, a third distributed computing system <NUM>, and any number of additional distributed computing systems as illustrated by the ellipses <NUM>. The distributed ledger <NUM> may operate according to any known standards or methods for distributed ledgers. Examples of conventional distributed ledgers that may correspond to the distributed ledger <NUM> include, but are not limited to, Bitcoin [BTC], Ethereum, and Litecoin.

In the context of DID <NUM>, the distributed ledger or blockchain <NUM> is used to store a representation of the DID <NUM> that points to the DID document <NUM>. In some embodiments, the DID document <NUM> may be stored on the actual distributed ledger. Alternatively, in other embodiments the DID document <NUM> may be stored in a data storage (not illustrated) that is associated with the distributed ledger <NUM>.

As mentioned, a representation of the DID <NUM> is stored on each distributed computing system of the distributed ledger <NUM>. For example, in <FIG> this is shown as DID hash <NUM>, DID hash <NUM>, and DID hash <NUM>, which are ideally identical hashed copies of the same DID. The DID hash <NUM>, DID hash <NUM>, and DID hash <NUM> may then point to the location of the DID document <NUM>. The distributed ledger or blockchain <NUM> may also store numerous other representations of other DIDs as illustrated by references <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

In one embodiment, when the DID owner <NUM> creates the DID <NUM> and the associated DID document <NUM>, the DID hash <NUM>, DID hash <NUM>, and DID hash <NUM> are written to the distributed ledger <NUM>. The distributed ledger <NUM> thus records that the DID <NUM> now exists. Since the distributed ledger <NUM> is decentralized, the DID <NUM> is not under the control of any entity outside of the DID owner <NUM>. DID hash <NUM>, DID hash <NUM>, and DID hash <NUM> may each include, in addition to the pointer to the DID document <NUM>, a record or time stamp that specifies when the DID <NUM> was created. At a later date, when modifications are made to the DID document <NUM>, each modification (and potentially also a timestamp of the modification) may also be recorded in DID hash <NUM>, DID hash <NUM>, and DID hash <NUM>. DID hash <NUM>, DID hash <NUM>, and DID hash <NUM> may further include a copy of the public key <NUM> so that the DID <NUM> is cryptographically bound to the DID document <NUM>.

Having described DIDs and how they operate generally with reference to <FIG>, specific embodiments of DID environments will now be explained. Turning to <FIG>, an environment <NUM> that may be used to perform various DID management operations and services will now be explained. It will be appreciated that the environment of <FIG> may reference elements from <FIG> as needed for ease of explanation.

As shown in <FIG>, the environment <NUM> may include various devices and computing systems that may be owned or otherwise under the control of the DID owner <NUM>. These may include a user device <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may be, but is not limited to, a mobile device such as a smart phone, a computing device such as a laptop computer, or any device such as a car or an appliance that includes computing abilities. The device <NUM> may include a web browser <NUM> operating on the device and an operating system <NUM> operating the device. More broadly speaking, the dashed line <NUM> represents that all of these devices may be owned or otherwise under the control of the DID owner <NUM>.

The environment <NUM> also includes a DID management module <NUM>. It will be noted that in operation, the DID management module <NUM> may reside on and be executed by one or more of user device <NUM>, web browser <NUM>, and the operating system <NUM> as illustrated by respective lines 301a, 302a, and 303a. Accordingly, the DID management module <NUM> is shown as being separate for ease of explanation. In some embodiments, the management module <NUM> may be referred to as a "digital wallet".

As shown in <FIG>, the DID management module <NUM> includes a DID creation module <NUM>. The DID creation module <NUM> may be used by the DID owner <NUM> to create the DID <NUM> or any number of additional DIDs, such as DID <NUM>. In one embodiment, the DID creation module may include or otherwise have access to a User Interface (UI) element <NUM> that may guide the DID owner <NUM> in creating the DID <NUM>. The DID creation module <NUM> may have one or more drivers that are configured to work with specific distributed ledgers such as distributed ledger <NUM> so that the DID <NUM> complies with the underlying methods of that distributed ledger.

A specific embodiment will now be described. For example, the UI <NUM> may provide a prompt for the user to enter a user name or some other human recognizable name. This name may be used as a display name for the DID <NUM> that will be generated. As previously described, the DID <NUM> may be a long string of random numbers and letters and so having a human-recognizable name for a display name may be advantageous. The DID creation module <NUM> may then generate the DID <NUM>. In the embodiments having the UI <NUM>, the DID <NUM> may be shown in a listing of identities and may be associated with the human-recognizable name.

The DID creation module <NUM> may also include a key generation module <NUM>. The key generation module may generate the private key <NUM> and public key <NUM> pair previously described. The DID creation module <NUM> may then use the DID <NUM> and the private and public key pair to generate the DID document <NUM>.

In operation, the DID creation module <NUM> accesses a registrar <NUM> that is configured to the specific distributed ledger that will be recording the transactions related to the DID <NUM>. The DID creation module <NUM> uses the registrar <NUM> to record DID hash <NUM>, DID hash <NUM>, and DID hash <NUM> in the distributed ledger in the manner previously described, and to store the DID document <NUM> in the manner previously described. This process may use the public key <NUM> in the hash generation.

In some embodiments, the DID management module <NUM> may include an ownership module <NUM>. The ownership module <NUM> may provide mechanisms that ensure that the DID owner <NUM> is in sole control of the DID <NUM>. In this way, the provider of the DID management module <NUM> is able to ensure that the provider does not control the DID <NUM>, but is only providing the management services.

As previously discussed, the key generation module <NUM> generates the private key <NUM> and public key <NUM> pair and the public key <NUM> is then recorded in the DID document <NUM>. Accordingly, the public key <NUM> may be used by all devices associated with the DID owner <NUM> and all third parties that desire to provide services to the DID owner <NUM>. Accordingly, when the DID owner <NUM> desires to associate a new device with the DID <NUM>, the DID owner <NUM> may execute the DID creation module <NUM> on the new device. The DID creation module <NUM> may then use the registrar <NUM> to update the DID document <NUM> to reflect that the new device is now associated with the DID <NUM>, which update would be reflected in a transaction on the distributed ledger <NUM>, as previously described.

In some embodiments, however, it may be advantageous to have a public key per device <NUM> owned by the DID owner <NUM> as this may allow the DID owner <NUM> to sign with the device-specific public key without having to access a general public key. In other words, since the DID owner <NUM> will use different devices at different times (for example using a mobile phone in one instance and then using a laptop computer in another instance), it is advantageous to have a key associated with each device to provide efficiencies in signing using the keys. Accordingly, in such embodiments the key generation module <NUM> may generate additional public keys <NUM> and <NUM> when the additional devices execute the DID creation module <NUM>. These additional public keys may be associated with the private key <NUM> or in some instances may be paired with a new private key.

In those embodiments where the additional public keys <NUM> and <NUM> are associated with different devices, the additional public keys <NUM> and <NUM> may be recorded in the DID document <NUM> as being associated with those devices. This is shown in <FIG>. It will be appreciated that the DID document <NUM> may include the information (information <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> through <NUM>) previously described in relation to <FIG> in addition to the information (information <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>) shown in <FIG>. If the DID document <NUM> existed prior to the device-specific public keys being generated, then the DID document <NUM> would be updated by the creation module <NUM> via the registrar <NUM> and this would be reflected in an updated transaction on the distributed ledger <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the DID owner <NUM> may desire to keep secret the association of a device with a public key or the association of a device with the DID <NUM>. Accordingly, the DID creation module <NUM> may cause that such data be secretly shown in the DID document <NUM>.

As described thus far, the DID <NUM> has been associated with all the devices under the control of the DID owner <NUM>, even when the devices have their own public keys. However, in some embodiments it may be useful for each device or some subset of devices under the control of the DID owner <NUM> to each have their own DID. Thus, in some embodiments the DID creation module <NUM> may generate an additional DID, for example DID <NUM>, for each device. The DID creation module <NUM> would then generate private and public key pairs and DID documents for each of the devices and have them recorded on the distributed ledger <NUM> in the manner previously described. Such embodiments may be advantageous for devices that may change ownership as it may be possible to associate the device-specific DID to the new owner of the device by granting the new owner authorization rights in the DID document and revoking such rights from the old owner.

As mentioned, to ensure that the private key <NUM> is totally in the control of the DID owner <NUM>, the private key <NUM> is created on the user device <NUM>, browser <NUM>, or operating system <NUM> that is owned or controlled by the DID owner <NUM> that executed the DID management module <NUM>. In this way, there is little chance that a third party (and most consequentially, the provider of the DID management module <NUM>) may gain control of the private key <NUM>.

However, there is a chance that the device storing the private key <NUM> may be lost by the DID owner <NUM>, which may cause the DID owner <NUM> to lose access to the DID <NUM>. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the UI <NUM> may include the option to allow the DID owner <NUM> to export the private key <NUM> to an off device secured database <NUM> that is under the control of the DID owner <NUM>. As an example, the database <NUM> may be one of the identity hubs <NUM> described below with respect to <FIG>. A storage module <NUM> is configured to store data (such as the private key <NUM> or the attestation information <NUM> made by or about the DID owner <NUM>) off device in the database <NUM> or in identity hubs <NUM> that will be described in more detail to follow. Of course, in some embodiments the storage module <NUM> may store at least some data on the device if the device has sufficient storage resources. In some embodiments, the private key <NUM> may be stored as a QR code that may be scanned by the DID owner <NUM>.

In other embodiments, the DID management module <NUM> may include a recovery module <NUM> that may be used to recover a lost private key <NUM>. In operation, the recovery module <NUM> allows the DID owner <NUM> to select one or more recovery mechanisms <NUM> at the time the DID <NUM> is created that may later be used to recover the lost private key. In those embodiments having the UI <NUM>, the UI <NUM> may allow the DID owner <NUM> to provide information that will be used by the one or more recovery mechanisms <NUM> during recovery. The recovery module <NUM> may then be run on any device associated with the DID <NUM>.

The DID management module <NUM> may also include a revocation module <NUM> that is used to revoke or sever a device from the DID <NUM>. In operation, the revocation module may use the UI element <NUM>, which may allow the DID owner <NUM> to indicate a desire to remove a device from being associated with the DID <NUM>. In one embodiment, the revocation module <NUM> may access the DID document <NUM> and may cause that all references to the device be removed from the DID document <NUM>. Alternatively, the public key for the device may be removed. This change in the DID document <NUM> may then be reflected as an updated transaction on the distributed ledger <NUM> as previously described.

<FIG> illustrates an embodiment of an environment <NUM> in which a DID such as DID <NUM> may be utilized. Specifically, the environment <NUM> will be used to describe the use of the DID <NUM> in relation to one or more decentralized stores or identity hubs <NUM> that are each under the control of the DID owner <NUM> to store data belonging to or regarding the DID owner <NUM>. For instance, data may be stored within the identity hubs using the storage module <NUM> of <FIG>. It will be noted that <FIG> may include references to elements first discussed in relation to <FIG> or <FIG> and thus use the same reference numeral for ease of explanation.

In one embodiment, the identity hubs <NUM> may be multiple instances of the same identity hub. This is represented by the line 410A. Thus, the various identity hubs <NUM> may include at least some of the same data and services. Accordingly, if a change is made to part of at least some of the data (and potentially any part of any of the data) in one of the identity hubs <NUM>, the change may be reflected in one or more of (and perhaps all of) the remaining identity hubs.

The identity hubs <NUM> may be any data store that may be in the exclusive control of the DID owner <NUM>. As an example only, the first identity hub <NUM> and second identity hub <NUM> are implemented in cloud storage (perhaps within the same cloud, or even on different clouds managed by different cloud providers) and thus may be able to hold a large amount of data. Accordingly, a full set of the data may be stored in these identity hubs.

However, the identity hubs <NUM> and <NUM> may have less memory space. Accordingly, in these identity hubs a descriptor of the data stored in the first and second identity hubs may be included. Alternatively, a record of changes made to the data in other identity hubs may be included. Thus, changes in one of the identity hubs <NUM> are either fully replicated in the other identity hubs or at least a record or descriptor of that data is recorded in the other identity hubs.

Because the identity hubs may be multiple instances of the same identity hub, only a full description of the first identity hub <NUM> will be provided as this description may also apply to the identity hubs <NUM> through <NUM>. As illustrated, identity hub <NUM> may include data storage <NUM>. The data storage <NUM> may be used to store any type of data that is associated with the DID owner <NUM>. In one embodiment the data may be a collection <NUM> of a specific type of data corresponding to a specific protocol. For example, the collection <NUM> may be medical records data that corresponds to a specific protocol for medical data. The collection <NUM> may include any other type of data, such as attestations <NUM> made by or about the DID owner <NUM>.

In one embodiment, the stored data may have different authentication and privacy settings <NUM> associated with the stored data. For example, a first subset of the data may have a setting <NUM> that allows the data to be publicly exposed, but that does not include any authentication to the DID owner <NUM>. This type of data may be for relatively unimportant data such as color schemes and the like. A second subset of the data may have a setting <NUM> that allows the data to be publicly exposed and that includes authentication to the DID owner <NUM>. A third subset of the data may have a setting <NUM> that encrypts the subset of data with the private key <NUM> and public key <NUM> pair (or some other key pair) associated with the DID owner <NUM>. This type of data will require a party to have access to the public key <NUM> (or to some other associated public key) in order to decrypt the data. This process may also include authentication to the DID owner <NUM>. A fourth subset of the data may have a setting <NUM> that restricts this data to a subset of third parties. This may require that public keys associated with the subset of third parties be used to decrypt the data. For example, the DID owner <NUM> may cause the setting <NUM> to specify that only public keys associated with friends of the DID owner <NUM> may decrypt this data. With respect to data stored by the storage module <NUM>, these settings <NUM> may be at least partially composed by the storage module <NUM> of <FIG>.

In some embodiments, the identity hub <NUM> may have a permissions module <NUM> that allows the DID owner <NUM> to set specific authorization or permissions for third parties such as third parties <NUM> and <NUM> to access the identity hub. For example, the DID owner <NUM> may provide access permission to his or her spouse to all the data <NUM>. Alternatively, the DID owner <NUM> may allow access to his or her doctor for any medical records. It will be appreciated that the DID owner <NUM> may give permission to any number of third parties to access a subset of the data <NUM>. This will be explained in more detail to follow. With respect to data stored by the storage module <NUM>, these access permissions <NUM> may be at least partially composed by the storage module <NUM> of <FIG>.

The identity hub <NUM> may also have a messaging module <NUM>. In operation, the messaging module allows the identity hub to receive messages such as requests from parties such as third parties <NUM> and <NUM> to access the data and services of the identity hub. In addition, the messaging module <NUM> allows the identity hub <NUM> to respond to the messages from the third parties and to also communicate with a DID resolver <NUM>. This will be explained in more detail to follow. The ellipsis <NUM> represents that the identity hub <NUM> may have additional services as circumstances warrant.

In one embodiment, the DID owner <NUM> may wish to authenticate a new device <NUM> with the identity hub <NUM> that is already associated with the DID <NUM> in the manner previously described. Accordingly, the DID owner <NUM> may utilize the DID management module <NUM> associated with the new user device <NUM> to send a message to the identity hub <NUM> asserting that the new user device is associated with the DID <NUM> of the DID owner <NUM>.

However, the identity hub <NUM> may not initially recognize the new device as being owned by the DID owner <NUM>. Accordingly, the identity hub <NUM> may use the messaging module <NUM> to contact the DID resolver <NUM>. The message sent to the DID resolver <NUM> may include the DID <NUM>.

The DID resolver <NUM> may be a service, application, or module that is configured in operation to search the distributed ledger <NUM> for DID documents associated with DIDs. Accordingly, in the embodiment the DID resolver <NUM> may search the distributed ledger <NUM> using the DID <NUM>, which may result in the DID resolver <NUM> finding the DID document <NUM>. The DID document <NUM> may then be provided to the identity hub <NUM>.

As discussed previously, the DID document <NUM> may include a public key <NUM> or <NUM> that is associated with the new user device <NUM>. To verify that the new user device is owned by the DID owner <NUM>, the identity hub <NUM> may provide a cryptographic challenge to the new user device <NUM> using the messaging module <NUM>. This cryptographic challenge will be structured such that only a device having access to the private key <NUM> will be able to successfully answer the challenge.

In this embodiment, since the new user device is owned by DID owner <NUM> and thus has access to the private key <NUM>, the challenge may be successfully answered. The identity hub <NUM> may then record in the permissions <NUM> that the new user device <NUM> is able to access the data and services of the identity hub <NUM> and also the rest of the identity hubs <NUM>.

It will be noted that this process of authenticating the new user device <NUM> was performed without the need for the DID owner <NUM> to provide any username, password or the like to the provider of the identity hub <NUM> (i.e., the first cloud storage provider) before the identity hub <NUM> could be accessed. Rather, the access was determined in a decentralized manner based on the DID <NUM>, the DID document <NUM>, and the associated public and private keys. Since these were at all times in the control of the DID owner <NUM>, the provider of the identity hub <NUM> was not involved and thus has no knowledge of the transaction or of any personal information of the DID owner <NUM>.

In another example embodiment, the DID owner <NUM> may provide the DID <NUM> to the third-party entity <NUM> so that the third party may access data or services stored on the identity hub <NUM>. For example, the DID owner <NUM> may be a human who is at a scientific conference who desires to allow the third party <NUM>, who is also a human, access to his or her research data. Accordingly, the DID owner <NUM> may provide the DID <NUM> to the third party <NUM>.

Once the third party <NUM> has access to the DID <NUM>, he or she may access the DID resolver <NUM> to access the DID document <NUM>. As previously discussed, the DID document <NUM> may include an end point <NUM> that is an address or pointer to services associated with the decentralized identity.

Completing the research data example, the third party <NUM> may send a message to the messaging module <NUM> asking for permission to access the research data. The messaging module <NUM> may then send a message to the DID owner <NUM> asking if the third party <NUM> should be given access to the research data. Because the DID owner desires to provide access to this data, the DID owner <NUM> may allow permission to the third party <NUM> and this permission may be recorded in the permissions <NUM>.

The messaging module <NUM> may then message the third party <NUM> informing the third party that he or she is able to access the research data. The identity hub <NUM> and the third party <NUM> may then directly communicate so that the third party may access the data. It will be noted that in many cases, it will actually be an identity hub associated with the third party <NUM> that communicates with the identity hub <NUM>. However, it may be a device of the third party <NUM> that does the communication.

Advantageously, the above described process allows the identity hub <NUM> and the third party <NUM> to communicate and to share the data without the need for the third party to access the identity hub <NUM> in the conventional manner. Rather, the communication is provisioned in the decentralized manner using the DID <NUM> and the DID document <NUM>. This advantageously allows the DID owner to be in full control of the process.

As shown in <FIG>, the third party <NUM> may also request permission for access to the identity hub <NUM> using the DID <NUM> and the DID document <NUM>. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein allow access to any number of third parties to the identity hubs <NUM>.

As described above, the DID <NUM> may be used to identify the DID owner <NUM> when the DID owner interacts with third party entities such as third party entities <NUM> and <NUM>. Thus, the third parties may be able to view or access the DID <NUM> since it is being used as the identity. For example, if the interaction with the third party entity is commenting on a blog or the like, then the author of the comment may be identified as "123ABC", which is the DID <NUM> in the comment section. However, there may be instances where the DID owner <NUM> may not desire for the DID <NUM> to be used as an identifier in this manner. Advantageously, the embodiments disclosed herein provide for the selection of pseudonymous names that may be used by the DID owner <NUM> when he or she interacts with the third party entities.

<FIG> illustrates an embodiment of an environment <NUM> that may be used to generate and select pseudonymous names for use by the DID owner <NUM>. As illustrated, the environment <NUM> may include a pseudonymous name selection module <NUM>. In one embodiment, the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may be part of or implemented in the DID management module <NUM> as represented by the dashed line 320A. In other embodiments, the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may be part of or implemented in one of the identity hubs <NUM> as represented by the dashed line 410A. In still other embodiments, the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may be part of or implemented by a third party such as a provider of the DID management module or the identity hubs. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited by the location of the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM>.

The pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may include a pseudonymous name generator module <NUM>. In operation, the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may be configured to generate one or more lists of pseudonymous names that may be used by the DID owner <NUM> for interaction with a third party entity <NUM>, <NUM>, or any number of additional third party entities as illustrated by ellipses <NUM>.

For example, the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may receive an indication <NUM> from the DID owner <NUM> that he or she desires to interact with the third party entities (i.e., third party entities <NUM> and <NUM>) using a pseudonymous name. In some embodiments, the interaction with the third party entities may be an exchange of DID-related data. The DID-related data may be signed attestation relating to the DID owner <NUM> or may be an offer to buy or sale goods or services bought and sold by the DID owner <NUM> and the third party entities. The DID-related data may also be comments or inputs into a written document, a book, a blog, or the like. Thus, the interaction between the DID owner <NUM> and the third party entities may be any reasonable interaction.

In response to the indication <NUM>, the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may generate a list <NUM> of pseudonymous names for use in the interaction. As illustrated, the list <NUM> may include a first pseudonymous name <NUM>, a second pseudonymous name <NUM>, a third pseudonymous name <NUM>, a fourth pseudonymous name <NUM>, and any number of additional pseudonymous names as illustrated by the ellipses <NUM>. For example, in one embodiments the pseudonymous name <NUM> may be "Mad Dog", the pseudonymous name <NUM> may be "Green Frog", the pseudonymous name <NUM> may be "Mountain Climber", and the pseudonymous name <NUM> may be "Fast Driver". Thus, it will be noted that the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> may be any reasonable name that may be used by the DID owner as a substitute identity for the DID <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may generate more than one list of pseudonymous names. For example, the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may generate a list <NUM> that includes one or more pseudonymous names (not illustrated) and any number of additional lists as illustrated by ellipses <NUM> that may include one or more pseudonymous names. In such embodiments, the additional lists <NUM> and <NUM> may be generated in addition to the list <NUM> or alternative to the list <NUM>.

In some embodiments it may be desirable to ensure that the generated pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> are appropriate to a current location of the DID owner <NUM>. For example, suppose the DID owner <NUM> is a US citizen who is a native English speaker, but who is traveling in France and desires to interact with a French third party entity. In such instance, the use of a pseudonymous name that is based on English or that would only make sense to a native English speaker may not be appropriate to use.

Accordingly, the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may include a location determination module <NUM> that is able to determine a current location of the DID owner <NUM>. In some embodiments, the location determination module <NUM> may be a GPS system or the like that is associated with the user device <NUM>. In operation, the location determination module <NUM> may determine the current location of the DID owner <NUM> and then provide this information to the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM>. The pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may then use this current location information when generating the list <NUM> including the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM>. For instance, using the example above the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may generate pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> that would be appropriate for use in France and the French language.

In other embodiments, the location determination module <NUM> may also be able to determine a current location of a third party entity that the DID owner <NUM> desires to interact with. For example, suppose the DID owner is a US citizen who is a native English speaker and is currently at his or her home in the US. However, suppose that the third party entity (i.e., third party entities <NUM> and <NUM>) that the DID owner <NUM> desires to interact with is located in Japan. In such instance, the use of a pseudonymous name that is based on English or that would only make sense to a native English speaker may not be appropriate to use. Accordingly, the location determination module <NUM> may determine the current location of the third party entity (i.e., third party entities <NUM> and <NUM>) and then provide this information to the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM>. The pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may then use this current location information when generating the list <NUM> including the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM>. For instance, using the example above the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may generate pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> that would be appropriate for use in Japan and the Japanese language.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to ensure that the generated pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> are appropriate for the type of third party entity. For example, suppose that the third party entity <NUM> is an online gaming community that the DID owner <NUM> is part of and that the third party entity <NUM> is a financial institution that the DID owner <NUM> does business with. As may be appreciated, the types of pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> that may be appropriate for use in the online gaming community may not be appropriate for use with a financial institution.

Accordingly, in some embodiments the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may include a third party type determination module <NUM>. In operation, the third party type determination module <NUM> may determine a type <NUM> of the third party entity <NUM>, a type <NUM> of the third party entity <NUM>, and any additional types as illustrated by the ellipses <NUM> of any number of additional third party entities as illustrated by the ellipses <NUM>. In operation, the third party type determination module <NUM> may provide the types <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> for one or more of the third party entities <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to the to the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM>. The pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may then use the types <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> when generating the list <NUM> including the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM>.

For example, the third party type determination module <NUM> may determine that the third party entity <NUM> is the online gaming community and may generate the type <NUM> that specifies "online gaming community" as the type for the third party entity <NUM>. The third party type determination module <NUM> may also determine that the third party entity <NUM> is the financial institution and may generate the type <NUM> that specifies "financial institution" as the type for the third party entity <NUM>.

The pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may then use the type <NUM> to determine the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM>. In this embodiment such names as the pseudonymous name <NUM> "Mad Dog", the pseudonymous name <NUM> "Green Frog", the pseudonymous name <NUM> "Mountain Climber", and the pseudonymous name <NUM> "Fast Driver" may all be appropriate for an online gaming community.

However, these pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> may not be appropriate for the third party entity <NUM> that is the financial institution. Accordingly, the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may use type <NUM> to determine the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> that are more appropriate for interaction with a financial institution. For example, such names as a pseudonymous name <NUM> "Banker <NUM>", a pseudonymous name <NUM> "Banker <NUM>", a pseudonymous name <NUM> "Investor <NUM>", and a pseudonymous name <NUM> "Investor <NUM>" may all be appropriate for a financial institution.

In some embodiments, the pseudonymous name generator module <NUM> may generate the list <NUM> for interaction with the third party entity <NUM> that is the online gaming community and the list <NUM> for interaction with the third party entity <NUM> that is the financial institution simultaneously or at near the same time. In this way, the DID owner <NUM> may have more than one list of pseudonymous names at a time that may be selected for use in interaction with more than one third party entity simultaneously or at near the same time.

Once the list <NUM> including the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> (or the other lists <NUM> or <NUM>) is generated, the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may receive a selection that selects a specific one of the pseudonymous names for use in the interaction with the third party entity. In one embodiment, the list <NUM> including the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM> (or the other lists <NUM> or <NUM>) may be displayed to the DID owner <NUM>. The DID owner <NUM> may then provide a selection <NUM> that selects the specific pseudonymous name for use in the interaction with the third party entity. For example, in the example embodiment where the third party entity <NUM> is an online gaming community, the DID owner <NUM> may input the selection <NUM> to select the pseudonymous name <NUM> "Green Frog" for use in interacting with the online gaming community.

In some embodiments, the selection may be automatically generated by the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM>. Accordingly, the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may include an automatic selection module <NUM> that provides a selection <NUM> that selects the specific pseudonymous name for use in the interaction. In one embodiment, the automatic selection <NUM> may be based on one or more user selected rules <NUM>, <NUM>, or any number of additional rules as illustrated by ellipses <NUM> that are input into a rules module <NUM> by the DID owner <NUM>. The rules <NUM>-<NUM> may specify criteria that should be used when selecting the pseudonymous name. For instance, a rule <NUM> may specify that a specific pseudonymous name always be used for a particular type of third party entity. A rule <NUM> may specify that a different pseudonymous name should be used for every visit to the same third party entity. A rule <NUM> may specify that a pseudonymous name should never be used more than once in all interactions with all third parties.

In other embodiments, the automatic selection <NUM> may be based on the type of the third party entity. In such embodiments, the automatic selection module <NUM> may be configured to select one of the pseudonymous names generated using the third party type module as previously described that is best for the particular situation.

Once the specific pseudonymous name has been selected, a binding module <NUM> of the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may generate a binding <NUM> that binds the DID <NUM> to the selected pseudonymous name. The binding <NUM> ensures that the selected pseudonymous name may be used by the DID owner <NUM> in place of the DID <NUM> during interactions with the third party entities.

For example, as shown in <FIG> the DID owner <NUM> may interact with the third party entity <NUM> by exchanging some form of DID related data <NUM>. As shown, the DID-related data <NUM> includes an example of the binding <NUM> that has bound the DID <NUM> to the pseudonymous name <NUM>. For instance, the DID-related data may be a blog post generated by the third party entity <NUM> and the DID owner <NUM> may desire to post a comment in the blog. Accordingly, the binding <NUM> that binds the DID <NUM> to the pseudonymous name <NUM> allows the pseudonymous name <NUM> to be used as the author of the comment without the need to show or display the DID <NUM>.

Likewise, as shown in <FIG> the DID owner <NUM> may interact with the third party entity <NUM> by exchanging some form of DID related data <NUM>. As shown, the DID-related data <NUM> includes an example of the binding <NUM> that has bound the DID <NUM> to the pseudonymous name <NUM>. For example, the DID-related data may be a product for sale by the third party entity <NUM> and the DID owner <NUM> may desire to make an offer to buy the product. Accordingly, the binding <NUM> that binds the DID <NUM> to the pseudonymous name <NUM> allows the pseudonymous name <NUM> to be used in the offer to buy the product without the need to show or display the DID <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a flow chart of an example method <NUM> for a method for generating one or more pseudonymous names for use by a DID owner when interacting with third party entities. The method <NUM> will be described with respect to one or more of <FIG> discussed previously.

The method <NUM> includes receiving an indication from a DID owner who is associated with a DID that the DID owner desires to interact with one or more third party entities (<NUM>). For example, as previously described the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may receive the indication <NUM> from the DID owner <NUM> who is associated with the DID <NUM> that he or she desires to interact with the third party entities <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>.

The method <NUM> includes generating a list of one or more pseudonymous names that are to be used in place of the DID as the DID owner interacts with the one or more third party entities (<NUM>). For example, as previously described the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may generate the list <NUM> that includes the pseudonymous names <NUM>-<NUM>. The lists <NUM> and <NUM> may also be generated.

The method <NUM> includes receiving a selection for a specific one of the generated one or more pseudonymous names (<NUM>). For example, as previously described the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may receive the selection <NUM> from the DID owner <NUM> or the automatic selection <NUM> that selects a specific pseudonymous name.

The method <NUM> includes binding the selected specific pseudonymous name to the DID so that the selected specific pseudonymous name is used during the interaction (<NUM>). For example, as previously described the pseudonymous name selection module <NUM> may generate the binding <NUM> that binds the DID <NUM> to the selected pseudonymous name. This ensures that the selected pseudonymous name is used during the interaction with the third party entities.

For the processes and methods disclosed herein, the operations performed in the processes and methods may be implemented in differing order. Furthermore, the outlined operations are only provided as examples, and some of the operations may be optional, combined into fewer steps and operations, supplemented with further operations, or expanded into additional operations without detracting from the essence of the disclosed embodiments.

Claim 1:
A computing system for use in a decentralized network that implements a distributed ledger, the distributed ledger being configured to back one or more decentralized identities, DID, for one or more users of the computing system, the computing system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to:
receive (<NUM>) an indication from a DID owner who is associated with a DID that the DID owner desires to interact with a respective third party entity of one or more third party entities;
generate (<NUM>) a list of one or more pseudonymous names that are to be used in place of the DID as the DID owner interacts with the respective third party entity;
determine a type of the respective third party entity;
select a specific pseudonymous name from the list of the generated one or more pseudonymous names, wherein the selection is made automatically based on one or more user selected rules and the type of the respective third party entity that is to interact with the DID owner,
the one or more user selected rules specifying criteria used when selecting the specific pseudonymous name based on the type of the respective third party entity; and
bind (<NUM>) the selected specific pseudonymous name to the DID so that the selected specific pseudonymous name is used during the interaction with the respective third party entity.