European Commission ebsi European Blockchain

Selective Disclosure: An EBSI Improvement Proposal

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Verifiable Credentials (VCs) help us securely verify and share all sorts of claims, from academic transcripts to certifications, licences and more. However, they often contain more information than we actually need to share.

Verifiable Credentials (VCs) help us securely verify and share all sorts of claims, from academic transcripts to certifications, licences and more. However, they often contain more information than we actually need to share.

Exploring the need for Selective Disclosure

Imagine Sarah, a business professional, who needs to verify her employment status while living abroad. She may have a credential that includes information about her employment status, but also includes other details about her life, such as her age or address. This sensitive data doesn’t need to be shared, but it will be anyway… or will it?

With Selective Disclosure, Sarah could share only the required information – her employment status – while still safeguarding the rest of her sensitive data.

Shaping the Future: Selective Disclosure and EBSI

Selective Disclosure aligns seamlessly with the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), allowing users to share essential details and prioritising privacy without compromising data integrity. Although not yet enforced, the EBSI community is fervently working towards making it a reality.

One way that EBSI is making necessary steps forward is through the introduction of EBSI Improvement Proposals (EBIPs). These proposals present an opportunity to collaborate with the EBSI community as we ask for feedback on our specifications.

Right now, an EBIP on Selective Disclosure is open for public feedback. Whether you're a developer, researcher, standardisation body, node operator, EBSI Early Adopter, or a blockchain enthusiast, your insights and contributions matter. And once we collect all your suggestions and responses, the proposal will become EBSI’s accepted standard.

Defining a Secure, User-Centric Future… Together

With new technologies come new opportunities to safeguard people’s privacy. Using selective disclosure techniques, a Verifiable Credential (the document the person holds in their wallet) allows users to select which attributes they will present in a Verifiable Presentation (what is shown to verifiers). Verifiable Credentials pave the way for a more secure and user-centric digital ecosystem, and a safer, reliable future.

If you’re interested in offering your insights, don’t hesitate to get involved: the Selective Disclosure EBIP holds immense potential to redefine how we interact with Verifiable Credentials.

Start collaborating now

If you’re interested in seeing our full repository of EBIPs, start here.



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