DID Use Cases
Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) enable a new approach to digital identity with control in the hands of the entities they identify.
DIDs are:
- Decentralized (no central authority)
- Persistent (long-lasting)
- Cryptographically verifiable (provable control)
- Resolvable (discoverable metadata)
These characteristics make DIDs valuable where traditional identifiers fall short.
Key Use Cases
Section titled “Key Use Cases”Personal Identity Management
Section titled “Personal Identity Management”Online Shopper
Section titled “Online Shopper”A person shopping online can present verifiable credentials from trusted issuers, control exactly what information is shared, avoid creating username/password, and build reputation across platforms without correlation. This enables trustworthy transactions without centralized identity providers.
Portable Secure Communication
Section titled “Portable Secure Communication”Users can create encryption keys linked to their identity (not a specific service), move communications between services while maintaining identity, verify sender identity cryptographically, and establish secure channels based on mutual DID resolution. This supports truly portable, service-independent digital identity.
Education and Credentials
Section titled “Education and Credentials”Lifelong Learning Credentials
Section titled “Lifelong Learning Credentials”Educational institutions issue verifiable credentials linked to a student’s DID, students own credentials independently of the issuer, employers verify credentials without contacting institutions, and credentials transfer seamlessly between systems. This creates a portable, verifiable educational record under student control.
Transferable Skills Verification
Section titled “Transferable Skills Verification”Employers issue verifiable credentials attesting to skills and experience, workers maintain credentials after leaving, new employers verify skills without extensive background checks, and workers build portable professional identity across employers. This reduces labor market friction while maintaining trust.
Healthcare
Section titled “Healthcare”Prescription Management
Section titled “Prescription Management”Doctors issue verifiable prescription credentials to a patient’s DID, patients present credentials to any authorized pharmacy, pharmacies verify credentials without contacting the doctor, and privacy is maintained while preventing fraud.
Patient-Controlled Health Records
Section titled “Patient-Controlled Health Records”Patients control access to health records through their DID, healthcare providers request specific permissions, patients grant granular revocable access, and an audit trail of health data access is created. This puts patients in control while enabling appropriate sharing.
Supply Chain and Provenance
Section titled “Supply Chain and Provenance”Tracking Authentic Products
Section titled “Tracking Authentic Products”Manufacturers create DIDs for product batches or items, record verifiable credentials at each supply chain step, retailers and consumers verify product authenticity, and products can be traced to source when quality issues arise. This builds trust while enabling efficient supply chain management.
Cross-Border Trade
Section titled “Cross-Border Trade”Create verifiable credentials for customs declarations and certificates, link credentials to organizational DIDs, customs authorities verify document authenticity without complex international systems, and administrative friction in international trade is reduced.
Financial and Legal
Section titled “Financial and Legal”Digital Asset Control
Section titled “Digital Asset Control”Cryptographic control of assets linked to a DID (not just a key), key rotation capabilities maintain control after key compromise, social recovery options through trusted delegates, and proof of asset control for regulatory compliance. This improves security and recoverability.
Legal Entity Verification
Section titled “Legal Entity Verification”Organizations establish verifiable digital identities, authorized representatives prove their connection to the organization, organizational credentials are verified across jurisdictional boundaries, and entity verification processes are automated. This reduces fraud risk while streamlining B2B interactions.
Privacy and Selective Disclosure
Section titled “Privacy and Selective Disclosure”Zero-Knowledge Proof Verification
Section titled “Zero-Knowledge Proof Verification”Create verifiable credentials that work with zero-knowledge proofs, prove attributes (like age) without revealing exact data, minimize data collection while maintaining trust, and create audit trails without storing sensitive data. This enables privacy-preserving verification in regulatory compliance.
Correlation-Resistant Services
Section titled “Correlation-Resistant Services”Create different DIDs for different contexts, present different identifiers to different services, prove connection between DIDs only when desired, and maintain separate reputation in different contexts. This gives users control over correlation and tracking.
Key Benefits
Section titled “Key Benefits”| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Self-sovereignty | DIDs are created and controlled by their controller, not a central authority |
| Persistent | DIDs can exist indefinitely, independent of any particular organization |
| Cryptographically verifiable | DIDs enable strong authentication and proof of control |
| Resolvable | DIDs allow discovery of associated verification methods and services |
| Decentralized | DIDs don’t depend on a central registry or authority |
| Cross-platform | DIDs work across different systems and platforms |
| Privacy-preserving | DIDs support selective disclosure and minimized correlation |
| Verifiable | DIDs enable cryptographic verification of claims |