Key Ideas

Digital Identity in the Age of Herald

Identity is a cornerstone of how we interact, both in the physical and digital realms.

What Do We Mean by Digital Identity?

Digital identity transcends just humans. It encompasses organizations, governments, entities like DAOs, Gaming legions, and even objects or bots. In Herald's context, these identities manifest as Mina's public keys (i.e. addresses), and can be either externally owned accounts or smart contracts.

Key Concepts:

• Anything and anyone can have a digital identity.
• An individual or entity can establish and maintain multiple identities.
• Within platforms like Mina, a digital identity can manifest as a public key.
• Any identity can issue claims about another identity.
• An owner of a claim can prove statements about claims issued to them.

Digital Claims with Herald

Just as in the traditional world where an individual or entity can make statements or claims, the same holds in the digital realm. A digital claim is a declaration or assertion made by an identity.

Often, these claims establish relationships between identities. For instance, when an online educational platform vouches that a user has completed a course, it's a digital claim linking the user and the platform.

Claims have a broad spectrum. They can be public, private, and can represent nearly any interaction or declaration. Whether it's a digital thumbs-up, an invoice, or an email, in the Herald universe, these are all claims.

Examples of Claims:

• Certifications or badges earned online.
• Defeating a monster in a game.
• Leveling up a character.
• Social media interactions.
• Digital invoices.
• Email correspondences.
• Digital roles or permissions within a platform.
• Online endorsements or reviews.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Herald

Modern cryptography has gifted us the concept of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). It's a mechanism allowing one entity to prove to another that they possess certain knowledge, without revealing the specifics of that knowledge.

This matters because in the realm of digital claims, there are moments when we want to validate something discreetly, maintaining privacy while ensuring authenticity. The future of Web3 requires privacy as a feature not as a nice-to-have.

Real-world Applications:

• Digital KYC Version: Imagine proving you meet the jurisdictional requirements for interacting with a zkApp without exposing any other details about yourself; proving only that you meet the requirements the zkApp requires. With ZKPs, you can validate that you possess the digital key tied to an identity that has been KYC'd, without disclosing further information.

• Anonymous Digital Voting: Just as in the offline world, there are times when you'd want to validate your eligibility to vote without unveiling your identity. ZKPs make this a reality.

By fusing time-honored concepts of identity with state-of-the-art cryptographic techniques, Herald stands at the forefront of the new digital era. Our library seeks to make these concepts accessible, ensuring that developers and users can navigate this new landscape with confidence and clarity.