Solid, Open Badges and Verifiable Credentials
What is the future of self-sovereignty and credentials?
Solid, open badges and verifiable credentials are all technologies associated with decentralized web applications, including the blockchain. In contrast to centralized web applications where companies, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, hold an individual’s data, decentralized applications allow citizens to own their personal data. However, in some cases when personal data needs to be verified, blockchain nodes are used. When a credential or smart badge is validated on the blockchain, employers and educational institutions are only able to receive access to qualification data when an individual gives them permission.
About the Webinar
In the final webinar of the emerging technologies and education series, Professor John Domingue untangles some of the thorny issues associated with self-sovereignty and credentials, including:
- The significant advantages of decentralized web applications
- An in-depth explanation of the affordances of blockchain within the context of Solid, open badges, and verifiable credentials.
- An Open University case study on the adaptation of blockchain technology to help privacy-preserving certification in the pandemic
- The EU-funded Horizon 2020 DEL4ALL project
Key takeaways
- Blockchains can provide the ‘right to be forgotten,’ allowing individuals to delete all of their data.
- While Solid technology gives the ability for empowerment and user control over personal data, blockchains provide verification.
- In the future, open badges may contribute to meeting a valued unit of knowledge, meaning they could become an exchange for higher education credentials.
Watch the Video
Watch Professor John Domingue, Director of the Knowledge Media Institute at the Open University, discuss the future of blockchains in the webinar ‘Blockchains, Solid and Privacy Preserving Certification‘ that was chaired by Dr. Kirk Perris from the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and facilitated by 3CL’s Director Dr. Alex Grech:
