March 3, 2020
Note: In celebration of Sovrin Foundation’s new membership program, the Foundation is providing periodic updates on the impactful work taking place across the community.
At the Sovrin Foundation we believe in ‘Identity for All’. This means that every person and organization around the world should have access to a digital identity that they, and they alone control. Also, that digital identity should be permanent, secure, and privacy-enhancing; this is self-sovereign identity (SSI).
From Governance to Web Standards to Hyperledger community calls, the staff of the Sovrin Foundation provides the nonpartisan, vendor-agnostic cohesion needed to further the growth, adoption, and advocacy of self-sovereign identity and the Sovrin Network.
We invite you to join us in this important work by becoming a member of the Sovrin Foundation.
Sovrin Governance Framework Working Group
The purpose of this Working Group is to develop and revise the Sovrin Governance Framework to serve as the business, legal, and technical policy foundation of Sovrin infrastructure, including serving as the foundation for other domain-specific governance frameworks.
“With the second generation of the Sovrin Governance Framework completed in December 2019, the SGFWG is now embarking on development of the third generation. We are forming Task Forces to tackle specific aspects of that work. The first one has already been formed—the Sovrin Foundation Governance Task Force, chaired by André Kudra of esatus AG. We are still forming the other Task Forces for organizing our work.” -Drummond Reed, Co-Chair, SGFWG
Business of SSI Task Force (BoSSI)
The purpose of this Task Force is to explore the different business models that can work within and sustain an SSI ecosystem. In addition, this Task Force will actively assist (to available capacity) entrepreneurs working to develop new businesses within the Sovrin ecosystem.
“The business of SSI task force is in the thick of writing a whitepaper. Our meetings are spent reviewing material that’s written and providing feedback. We think we should have a first draft ready for review in about a month or two.” – Riley Hughes, Chair, BoSSI
The former Guardianship Task Force (formed January 2019) completed its work in December 2019 and produced the Guardianship white paper. It graduated to become a full Sovrin Working Group in January 2020.
“The Sovrin Guardianship Working Group is now up and running with its first two monthly meetings having been held with presentations from humanitarian, health care sectors, reflecting the variety of inputs from the working group. There is good momentum building and additional members have joined those from the original taskforce and we have begun to share ideas on how best to discover and define the technical requirements and currently working on organizing the knowledge around Guardianship to be of interest of all (from new comer to technical requirements). To increase the cadence and focus, we’re shifting to having a call every two weeks and alternating the host and timezones between APAC and Americas/EMEA.
The next call will be hosted by the APAC chairs and will be held on 13 Mar at 1300 AEDT. The call will include a discussion on the work being done by Jongkil Jay Jeong from the Cyber Security Collaborative Research Centre team at Deakin University on their research into SSI as an improved privacy model and the user incentives (I believe using game theory).” – John Phillips, Co-Chair, Guardianship Working Group
Compliance and Payments Task Force
The purpose of this Task Force is to develop a governance framework—the “Rulebook”—that will enable financial intermediaries—both traditional and non-traditional—to safely engage in token-based transactions and other digital transfers of value in compliance with the globally established risk and regulatory safeguards that apply to traditional financial institutions. These include anti-money laundering (AML), financial crimes compliance (FCC), international payments and associated security protocols, and essential counterparty risk management. This Rulebook builds on the essential governing elements for international payments as facilitated by SWIFT, the world’s largest financial messaging service provider, as well as the payments rules related to the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA), and the global standards related to anti-money laundering / counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
“The CPTF has made strong strides on the “Rulebook” most recently incorporating fundamental elements of regulatory supervisors in their oversight of organizations of any type if engaged in the issuance, storage, and/or transfer of digital assets. Further, we have also highlighted specific attributes of blockchain technology in furtherance of essential financial crimes compliance—advancing the technologies growth and application specifically to address financial inclusion globally. In addition, the CPTF continues to expand its membership/participants, with over 100 organizations now participating. We have also engaged Congressional leadership in furtherance of this framework to inform many Members and Committees efforts to modernize FCC in the financial sector.” – Amit Sharma, Chair, CPTF
| Name | Chair/s | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Trustees | Phil Windley | The approving body for decisions about the Foundation. As the Sovrin Foundation bootstraps itself, the board is self-organizing (per the bylaws) but will eventually be chosen through a vote of people aligned with Sovrin’s purposes. The exact process is yet to be determined. |
| Executive Committee | The Executive Committee is empowered by the Board of Trustees to review issues and make preliminary decisions for the board to consider. The Executive Committee functions as a steering committee that can make quick decisions when having the entire board meet would be impractical. | |
| Audit Committee | (Open) | A subunit of the Board of Trustees that performs critical functions in ensuring the integrity of the financial reporting process, oversees the process for identifying and addressing financial and related risks, and ensures the Foundation has appropriate policies and programs to prevent and detect fraud. |
| Technical Governance Board (TGB) | Jason Law | Responsible for governing the technical design, architecture, implementation, and operation of the Sovrin Network as a global public utility for self-sovereign identity. One of the key tasks of the TGB is to review the technical qualifications of Steward candidates to ensure they meet the requirements and principles in the Sovrin Governance Framework. |
| Economic Advisory Council (EAC) | Roy Avondet | Advises the Board of Trustees on the financial sustainability of the Sovrin Network and specifically on the design and governance of the Sovrin Token ecosystem. |
| Identity for All (I4A) Council | Bryan Pon | Supports the Sovrin Foundation’s mission of inclusive identity by working to extend the benefits of Sovrin to those populations who need an independent digital identity but who are unlikely to be provided one via a commercial relationship. This includes the estimated 1.1 billion people worldwide—mostly in the Global South—who currently lack a state-based or other widely-recognized identity credential. |
| Steward Qualification Committee (SQC) | Steve Fulling | Responsible for reviewing steward applications to ensure that potential Stewards are qualified in accordance with the requirements and principles laid out in the Sovrin Governance Framework. They make their recommendations to the Board of Trustees. |
| Steward Council | Lohan Spies | Responsible for representing the expertise, interests, and concerns of Sovrin Stewards in the Sovrin Foundation governance process. |
| Name | Chair/s | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sovrin Governance Framework Working Group (SGFWG) | Drummond Reed & Emily Fry | Develop and revise the Sovrin Governance Framework to serve as the business, legal, and technical policy foundation of Sovrin infrastructure, including serving as the foundation for other domain-specific governance frameworks. |
| Business of SSI Task Force (BoSSI) | Riley Hughes | Explore the different business models that can work within and sustain an SSI ecosystem. In addition, this Task Force will actively assist (to available capacity) entrepreneurs working to develop new businesses within the Sovrin ecosystem. |
| Compliance and Payments Task Force (CPTF) | Amit Sharma | Develop a governance framework—the “Rulebook”—that will enable financial intermediaries—both traditional and non-traditional—to safely engage in token-based transactions and other digital transfers of value in compliance with the globally established risk and regulatory safeguards that apply to traditional financial institutions. These include anti-money laundering (AML), financial crimes compliance (FCC), international payments and associated security protocols, and essential counterparty risk management. |
| SSI & IoT Task Force | Michael Shea | Explore the special considerations of applying SSI to the Internet of Things. In addition, this Task Force will actively assist (to available capacity) developers working on SSI for Things. |
| Guardianship Working Group | Dr. Philippe Page, John Phillips, Jamie Stirling, & Kelly Cooper | Develop business, operational, and technical requirements and practical guidance for the implementation of guardianship as described in the Guardianship in Self-Sovereign Identity Whitepaper. Research, design, describe and test components of SSI architecture required for the successful implementation of guardianship. |
| Global Policy Working Group (GPWG) | Kennedy Luvai | Research, formulate, and recommend policies affecting Sovrin infrastructure as a whole, in particular the intersection between the unique capabilities of self-sovereign identity and regulatory policies and civil laws worldwide—especially in a cross-border context—including privacy and personal data protection, financial regulation, securities regulation, cybersecurity policies, guardianship, digital signatures and contracts, electronic record-keeping and e-discovery, antitrust, etc. |
| DID UX Working Group | Bart Shulties | Explore and develop best practices of UX and human interaction design for the new paradigm of decentralized identity. Its role is to promote decentralized identity systems that are inclusive by design and can make true on the promise of delivering Identity for All. |
| Sovrin Incentives Task Force | Phil Windley | Explore business models that best meet the objectives of: Rapid adoption of network, sustained operation of the network, and adequate funding of the network, considering the interests/obligations of various stakeholders in the Sovrin community including: Stewards, Identity Holders, Credential Issuers, Credential Verifiers, Agencies, and the Sovrin Foundation. Underlying all considerations is staying true to foundational principles of privacy by design, non-correlation, finality of transactions, and speed. The Incentives Task Force is attached to the EAC, per the Sovrin bylaws. |
| Sovrin Network Governance Task Force | TBD | Extract the portions of the SGF V2 that currently apply only to the governance of the Sovrin public ledger and transform them into the Sovrin Network Governance Framework (SNGF—see Layer One of the Trust over IP stack). In addition this Task Force will determine what changes to the SNGF are necessary to conform to the Network of Networks model of the new Sovrin Metasystem Governance Framework (below) |
| Sovrin Metasystem Governance Task Force | TBD | Extract the portions of the SGF V2 that apply to the entire global Sovrin ecosystem and craft them into the Sovrin Metasystem Governance Framework (SMGF—see Layer Four of the Trust over IP stack). The SMGF is designed to encompass: 1) a “Network of Networks” at Layer One, 2) compatible Provider Governance Frameworks at Layer Two, 3) compatible Credential Governance Frameworks at Layer Three, and 4) other compatible Metasystem Governance Frameworks at Layer Four. |
| Sovrin Foundation Governance Task Force | André Kudra | Develop a long-term decentralized governance model for the Sovrin Foundation itself. This governance model needs to reflect the Core Principles of the SGF V2 (and their next versions in the SMGF, above). In particular, it needs to implement a “Foundation of Foundations” model that reflects the principles of Decentralization by Design and Collective Best Interest. |
| Name | Chair/s | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Token Development Group | ||
| Sovrin Crypto Meeting | Mike Lodder | R&D meeting for cryptography, security, and privacy research for Sovrin. |
| Name | Foundation Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hyperledger Identity Working Group Implementers Call | Members: Adam Burdett, Daniel Bluhm, Ken Ebert, Sam Curren, Nathan George, & Mike Lodder | Coordinates status and dependencies between projects building verifiable credentials and identity components. |
| Indy Contributors Meeting | Members: Adam Burdett, Ken Ebert, Sam Curren, & Daniel Bluhm | A time slot is for complex architecture issues or other controversies that cannot be dealt with on the mailing list or aren’t being resolved successfully in those forums. |
| Indy Semantics WG Meeting | Chair: Ken Ebert | Provides an opportunity for Hyperledger Indy community members to discuss issues pertaining to the Semantics layer of the stack. Topics include rich schemas and overlays. |
| Ursa WG Meeting | Mike Lodder | Discuss work in progress for Ursa and next release features. |
| Aries Working Group (Aries WG B Call) | Chair: Sam Curren Members: Daniel Bluhm, Adam Burdett, & Ken Ebert | Discuss the work being done in Hyperledger Aries. |
| Aries SDK WG Meeting (Aries WG A Call) | Members: Sam Current & Daniel Bluhm | People who want to contribute to the Aries SDK should join this call. This is a technical call dealing with the SDK and related issues. This does not replace our asynchronous collaboration but should help keep everyone up-to-date and moving together. |
| Aries Cloud Agent Python User Group | Members: Sam Curren & Daniel Bluhm | A user group to promote the Aries Cloud Agent - Python (ACA-Py) community, centered around continuous growth and improvement of code. |
| Technical Steering Committee (TSC) | Member: Nathan George | The responsibilities of the TSC are to steer the technical direction for Hyperledger. A full set of TSC responsibilities are defined in the Hyperledger Charter, but include: Creating working groups to focus on cross-project technical issues or opportunities approving project proposals in accordance with the project lifecycle, reviewing project and working group updates according to this calendar. |
| Hyperledger Contributor-Marketing Committee Meetings | Members: Helen Garneau & Anna Johnson | Discuss marketing related initiatives around the Hyperledger projects and community. This is a great opportunity for project maintainers and contributors to learn how they can get involved in many aspects of marketing including overall messaging, events, content, social media, and PR, to further help the public hear about and understand Hyperledger and its community. |
| Name | Foundation Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| W3C Credentials Community Group (CCG) | Member: Ken Ebert | Explore the creation, storage, presentation, verification, and user control of credentials. |
| W3C DID Working Group | Member: Ken Ebert | Standardize the DID URI scheme, the data model and syntax of DID Documents, which contain information related to DIDs that enable the aforementioned initial use cases, and the requirements for DID Method specifications. |
| W3C Verifiable Credentials Working Group | Member: Ken Ebert | Make expressing and exchanging credentials that have been verified by a third party easier and more secure on the Web. |
| DIF DIDComm Working Group | Chair: Sam Curren | Produce one or more high-quality specs that embody a method (“DIDComm”) for secure, private and (where applicable) authenticated message-based communication, where trust is rooted in DIDs and depends on the messages themselves, not on the external properties of the transport(s) used. |