RT @MissIG_Geek: Breaches don’t happen because people are ‘stupid’; they happen because the cognitive load of working securely/safely is en…
Replying to @davidfl_realtor
I’ve yet to see a real estate seller able to receive bitcoin. Glenn Oaks Escrow got some publicity for accepting #btc but after some investigation, they replied “the file will be disbursed in US dollars so that means the seller will not be receiving cryptocurrency in proceeds.”
RT @ChristopherA: @davidfl_realtor I’ve yet to see a real estate seller able to receive bitcoin. Glenn Oaks Escrow got some publicity for a…
Replying to @adamshostack, @HostileSpectrum, @MattDevost, @FabiusMercurius, @yassineARK and @daltonan
Though NFTs present some interesting complications, at the core they are fundamentally about management of keys as secrets. The risk models and adversaries in first edition of #SmartCustody are focused on these, but our second edition will likely cover more smart contract issues.
We’ve also released a full manual for Gordian Seed Tool on Github. [3/10] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/GordianSeedTool-iOS/blob/master/Docs/MANUAL.md
This newest version is available for both iOS & Mac, offers more fully integrated documentation, uses the Apple share sheets, includes preset SSKR sharding scenarios, adds arbitrary key derivation options, and includes other updates and expansions. [2/10] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gordian-seed-tool/id1545088229
The latest version of Gordian Seed Tool, the Blockchain Commons reference app for responsible seed management, v1.2 has now been released in both the iOS and Mac App Stores. [1/10] https://github.com/blockchaincommons/GordianSeedTool-iOS
The manual reveals all the hidden features of Seed Tool. For example, did you know that it can respond to air-gapped crypto-requests and respond to the other wallet with the requested seed or arbitrary derivation? [4/10]
Did you know Seed Tool can print SSKR shards of your seeds with convenient cut-off coupons for social key recovery? Base scenarios of 2 of 3 shares, 3 of 5, and two of three 2 of 3s (a two-level 4 of 9) are quite easy. [5/10]
You can also shard your seed into SSKR recovery shares to put on steel or titanium (see https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/sskr-cold-storage.mdfor more details). [6/10]
Take a look at the full manual for everything it can do. [8/10] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/GordianSeedTool-iOS/blob/master/Docs/MANUAL.md
Though Gordian Seed Tool is a reference app meant to highlight the Gordian Principles of independence, privacy, resilience, and openness, it’s also a fully functional tool for use to protect your cryptocurrency assets. [7/10]
And of course, you can restore your seed from SSKR shares by scanning them swiftly by passing your camera over each share. [7/10]
To support the creation of these reference apps, best practices & specs to support interoperable digital-asset wallets that are focused on independence, resilience, and openness, please become a monthly Sponsor of Blockchain Commons via GitHub. [10/10] https://github.com/sponsors/BlockchainCommons
And then take a look at the app itself for your iOS devices and on the Macintosh — Gordian Seed Tool from Blockchain Commons. [9/10] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gordian-seed-tool/id1545088229
RT @BitcoinLixin: Hey Cobo Vault users FYI
If you ordered Cobo Vault after June 1st 2020, you can apply for a full refund.
Keystone 50%-o…
RT @ChristopherA: The latest version of Gordian Seed Tool, the Blockchain Commons reference app for responsible seed management, v1.2 has n…
Our Gordian Seed Tool app for iOS and macOS offers a reference demonstration of this sharding functionality, but we expect wallet manufacturers to soon be incorporating SSKRs as well. [3/15] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gordian-seed-tool/id1545088229
Why? Because loss of a seed or private key is the easiest way to lose your Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency. SSKR safely backs up your seed by breaking it into shares which are only useful if combined back together. For details see our overview doc: [2/15] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/sskr-overview.md
SSKR stands for Sharded Secret Key Reconstruction. It’s a way for users to easily shard a cryptographic secret, giving you some options for seed reconstructions & and improved resilience against theft or loss. [1/15]
More advanced scenarios are possible for both self-sovereign & social key reconstruction. I personally use a 3 of 5 for my oldest seed, but am considering moving to a sophisticated two-level 4 of 9 (actually two of three 2 of 3s). [7/15] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/SmartCustody/blob/master/Docs/SSKR-Sharing.md#2-of-3-shares-of-two-of-three-groups
With SSKR, you don’t need all the shares to reconstruct. You set a threshold and only must recover that many shares. For three shares, you might set a threshold of two. In that social scenario, you recover a share from two of your friends, and you have your secret back! [6/15]
Maybe you keep one share at home, one at work, one at your bank. That allows self-sovereign key reconstruction. Or maybe you keep one share and give the others to friends. That’s social key reconstruction. Both are 2 of 3 share scenarios.[5/15] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/SmartCustody/blob/master/Docs/SSKR-Sharing.md#2-of-3-shares
So how do you use it? You decide places or people to hold your shares, then you split your secret up and distribute the shares per your plan. We’ve written about a number of different possible scenarios: [4/15] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/SmartCustody/blob/master/Docs/SSKR-Sharing.md
Those who receive these coupons can also use the QR on the coupon to store the shares into an encrypted QR vault such as our Gordian QR Tool, rather than keeping the slip of paper somewhere secure. [9/15] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gordian-qr-tool/id1506851070
With Gordian Seed Tool, you can also choose to print your shares, and distribute them as coupons for social key reconstruction scenarios. The words on the side portion of the coupons that you retain will help you later if you need to ask someone for those shares back. [8/15]
You can also secure the shares in other ways, such as etching the words into steel to ensure you never lose your cryptocurrency seed. Here’s how to do it with dog tags! [11/15] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/sskr-cold-storage.md
You can also save each shard as Byte Words or text. This allows you to separately encrypt & store them in multiple places in the cloud for self-sovereign key reconstruction, where compromise of any one place will not compromise your funds. [10/15] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gordian-qr-tool/id1506851070
Want to see more specifications & references for creating wallet interoperability? You can support Blockchain Commons by becoming a monthly patron! Even $10 a month helps, as it offers social proof to the community that we do is worth supporting! ៚[15/15] https://github.com/sponsors/BlockchainCommons
At Blockchain Commons, we’re creating new wallet specifications for responsible key management, to ensure you never lose your digital assets. SSKR is only one such spec. Don’t get locked into one wallet — ask your wallet vendor to support interoperability with SSKR. [14/15]
To be clear for Bitcoin, new advances in multisig offer superior independence & resilience over SSKR sharding. See our white paper: https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/SmartCustody/blob/master/Docs/Multisig.md. However, SSKR has its place in some scenarios or with other cryptocurrencies where single-sig is your only option. [13/15]
A quick video shows how easy it is to use SSKRs for reconstruction.[12/15] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/sskr-video.md
RT @Melt_Dem: 7/ GUIDE from @ChristopherA - an internet pioneer and brilliant mind who is also exceedingly patient with goombas like me
ht…
Replying to @Melt_Dem
Thank’s @Melt_Dem. We’ll be offering more resources, tools & apps on this topic. Key is funding to take the time to do it right—this was funded by @HRF. This plus our efforts in trust minimized decentralized identity & #SmartCustody can be supported at https://github.com/sponsors/BlockchainCommons
RT @ChristopherA: SSKR stands for Sharded Secret Key Reconstruction. It’s a way for users to easily shard a cryptographic secret, giving yo…
Developers of all sorts should find it easy to incorporate the functionality, as we offer reference libraries available in multiple languages. [4/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/sskr-developers.md
SSKR is easy to use, and there are other advantages, including BIP-39 roundtripping and the usage of new mnemonic words that are less likely to be confused. Take a look, we talk about it all in our docs! [3/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/README.md#sharded-secret-key-reconstruction-sskr
We’ve just released a number of new documents on SSKR that explain how it works and why it’s exciting. [2/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/README.md#sharded-secret-key-reconstruction-sskr
SSKR, or Sharded Secret Key Reconstruction, is a new specification for sharding your secrets that leverages the mature Shamir’s Secret Sharing algorithm, but with new forms of output and options for two-tiered shards. [1/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/bc-sskr
UR supporst SSKR, cryptographic seeds, and hd-keys QR codes, which allows for reliable transmission or even storage of SSKRs, often using airgapped wallets. We’ve got some documentation on that too! [8/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/ur-3-sskrs.md
Another of our major initiatives at Blockchain Commons is the introduction of QR-code optimized Uniform References (URs), designed to make interoperability between cryptocurrency platforms easy & reliable. [7/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Research/blob/master/papers/bcr-2020-005-ur.md
SSKR is integrated into our Gordian Seed Tool for iOS & MacOS, but developers might be more interested in our command-line interface seedtool-cli. This reference app is another way to test your own support of SSKR. [6/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/seedtool-cli
We’ve also released some test vectors, to make it easy to test that your SSKRs are working correctly. (Warning each Shamir’s Secret Sharing operation is non-deterministic, so results are different each time you shard a seed! ) [5/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/crypto-commons/blob/master/Docs/sskr-test-vector.md
Want to see more specifications and references for creating wallet interoperability? You can support Blockchain Commons by becoming a monthly patron! [11/11] https://github.com/sponsors/BlockchainCommons
We worked on SSKRs (and URs) with our Airgapped Wallet Community. Join us to talk about the future of interoperability for cryptocurrency wallets! [10/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Airgapped-Wallet-Community/discussions
Keep in mind, secret-sharing schemes such as SSKR are often more dangerous than using multisigs for similar purposes of security & resilience. We recently wrote about those dangers. But SSKR sharding has its own place in a #SmartCustody strategy. [9/11] https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/SmartCustody/blob/master/Docs/SSKR-Dangers.md
RT @dantrevino: Been contributing to Blockchain Commons for a while. Money well spent. You should do the same. https://twitter.com/ChristopherA/status/1436003109868761088
Replying to @Melt_Dem and @HRF
BTW, though I’m the technical lead, the lead author of this project @namcios, who is one of our @BlockchainCmns interns completing their summer internship. PRs are welcome, and we both plan to continue to work on this docucument over the next year at https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/pseudonymity-guide
RT @Steve_Lockstep: “You can’t be trustworthy, or equally trustworthy, to all others” – Paul Smart, #trustworthyID via @turinginst
RT @NickyHickman11: when do the risks of digital ID outweigh the benefits? Crucial question from #TrustworthyID
So where’s the self-sovereign identity in the concept of Principal Authority? That’s what today’s article is about. [4/13] https://www.blockchaincommons.com/articles/Principal-Authority/
That work includes the first legal definition for digital identity: “the intangible digital representation of, by and for a natural person, over which he has principal authority and through which he intentionally communicates or acts.” [3/13] https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2021/SF0039
It derives from work that I’ve done with the #Wyoming legislature’s Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology & Digital Innovation Technology, where we’ve made great progress in support of self-sovereign identity, digital rights, blockchain & digital asset laws. [2/13]
What does Principal Authority have to do with self-sovereign identity? That’s the topic of our newest @BlockchainComns article. [1/13] https://www.blockchaincommons.com/articles/Principal-Authority/
Delegation of identity happens already when you construct an account on a social media service. The difference? When it’s your recognized Principal Authority that is being used, your delegates must work to your benefit. Like a CPA or doctor, it must be in your interest. [8/13]
There’s a lot more that this implies. To start with, because Principal Authority is drawn from the Laws of Agency, it says that your Authority is delegatable. Other people can make use of your digital identity. [7/13]
It also says that entity has Authority over that digital identity. That’s self-sovereign identity in a nutshell! [6/13]
In short: Principal Authority recognizes a Principal, which acknowledges the existence of an entity at the heart of a digital identity. [5/13]
Establishing self-sovereign identity is part of the work that we’re doing at Blockchain Commons. If this is important to you, please become a monthly patron! Even $20 a month as an individual (or $100 for a corporation) makes a difference! ៚ [13/13] https://github.com/sponsors/BlockchainCommons
Also thanks to @CaitlinLong_ for inviting me to participate & offer advice toward better #Wyoming blockchain laws, and of course my fellow members of the Digital Identity Working Group @dazzagreenwood, @OwnYourDataNow, @ScottLDavid, Clare Sullivan & Carla Reyes. [12/13]
Bottom line: the concept of delegatable Principal Authority that works to your benefit is a huge step forward for digital identity. Many thanks to the Wyoming Select Committee on Blockchain & co-chair @rothfuss for leading the way on this topic! [11/13] https://www.wyoleg.gov/Committees/2021/S19
There’s more detail to this, many unanswered questions, and some subtlety on what control really means and how duties of care can be established. Take a look at the article, and let me know what you think! [10/13] https://www.blockchaincommons.com/articles/Principal-Authority/
That’s also what self-sovereign identity is all about: a digital identity controlled by you that benefits you. That’s not what we have today, where social media and other internet sites are using your identity to benefit themselves. [9/13]
RT @ChristopherA: In short: Principal Authority recognizes a Principal, which acknowledges the existence of an entity at the heart of a dig…
RT @LeahHoustonMD: “For self-sovereign identity to truly achieve international success, I feel that it needs to not just be embraced by the…
There is some interesting continuing discussion on Principal Authority in the W3C CCG (Credentials Community Group) in the mail thread archive starting at https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-credentials/2021Sep/0083.html – the list is public and your are welcome to participate. https://twitter.com/ChristopherA/status/1438258074188353537
I add to list the Nazi’s grabbing the efficient Dutch records early in their invasion, resulting in the greatest % of Jews dying from the Netherlands. #Foremembrance
RT @timpastoor: Out of the 80,000 Dutch Jews that lived in Amsterdam before the war, only some 15,000 remained thereafter.
Replying to @TZhongg
We have started one to add as a chapter in the 2nd edition of @BlockchainComns free #SmartCustody book. (see 1st edition at http://bit.ly/SmartCustodyBookV101).) Among other things, it leverages SSKR which allows for secret splitting in both self-sovereign & social key recovery scenarios.
Replying to @TZhongg and @BlockchainComns
You can currently do SSKR for seeds with Gordian Seed Tool (in the Mac & iOS App Store). The current version focuses on seeds for cryptocurrency, but we are working on Ethereum specific features for next release. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gordian-seed-tool/id1545088229
Replying to @TZhongg and @BlockchainComns
Though we charge for this app to support this work, you can compile the open source for free, and we also have a free command-line option for advanced users.
Replying to @TZhongg and @BlockchainComns
We at @BlockchainComns are an open infrastructure benefit org, so have to focus our efforts carefully. If there was both more support from the Ethereum community in the form of contributions to code and testing, as well financial support, we could release these updates faster.
Replying to @TZhongg and @BlockchainComns
The easiest way to support us is $20 a month contribution through Github at https://github.com/sponsors/BlockchainCommons . But we also accept cryptocurrency donations, and we periodically offer collectible NFTs in support of self-sovereignty to fund our efforts.
Replying to @TZhongg and @BlockchainComns
Like we do for Bitcoin seeds in the 1st edition of the #SmartCustody book, we will offer practical, step-by-step instructions, advice & risk models on adversaries, and how to modify the scenario if your needs are different (say a $10K NFT based on single seed vs a $1M one)
Replying to @TZhongg and @BlockchainComns
You can also show your support for our efforts by purchasing one of our curated NFTs. Our second, donated by artist @voodoovoid17 will be auctioned soon: https://opensea.io/assets/0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e/23329406590917769582697114686361498707644446075778430145570703786260194918401/
Replying to @kfury
I have a connection to this concept, which is that I had a game startup that was named Skotos. A Greek word, meaning the darkest nadir before the first traces of emerging twilight (orthros) of dawn (eos). As sailors & navigators these words were important.
I am testifying about opportunities for #Wyoming eResidency this afternoon at the meeting of the Legislative Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology (on agenda at 4pm MT but may start late). Live stream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OOesArozD0
My slides on #Wyoming #eResidency are at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JNmCMVEdMpAHoqVZ7UBakr2PtHgQI4hIgSpRD07nkkU/edit#slide=id.ged93563bd4_0_65
Replying to @La__Cuen
How far back? If 20th Century, I know the owner of the Vintage Pattern Lending Library https://www.vpll.org/
It looks like the legislative session on cryptocurrency mining in #Wyoming is running quite late, so they are moving my session to tomorrow, probably at end of the DAO session (currently scheduled for 10:30am MT). I will also be speaking about new Digital Identity laws at 4pm.
Replying to @La__Cuen
She would be perfect, as the 1920s are a particular specialty of Janyce Hill @vintageredux. I’ll also DM the last email I have for her.
Discussion on updates for #Wyoming DAO legislation, and later my presentation on eResidency, is now on live stream at https://www.youtube.com/c/WyomingLegislature
RT @ChristopherA: Discussion on updates for #Wyoming DAO legislation, and later my presentation on eResidency, is now on live stream at htt…
I am offering testimony about #Decentralized #DigitaIdentity, and in particular the new concept of “Principal Authority”, before the #Wyoming Select Committee for Blockchain this afternoon. Live stream at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONOK0-YL4GQ
Reportedly Twitter is deploying #Bitcoin #Lightning based Tips via @Strike, but I can’t seem to see where you can receive outside of their garden. For instance, here is an invoice to pay me $1. Is it even possible to pay it from another Lightning wallet? https://strike.me/pay/4c0a5d50-0189-4484-b09d-106272ef45db
My video testimony before the #Wyoming Select Committee in Blockchain is now archived at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONOK0-YL4GQ My points on update to DAO law are at beginning, a summary of my talk on Principal Authority & Decentralized Identity begins at 1h20m42s & on eResidency at 3h4m17s.
RT @ChristopherA: My video testimony before the #Wyoming Select Committee in Blockchain is now archived at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONOK0-YL4GQ My point…
Once again, to raise funds in support of our future open & trust-minimized Self-Sovereign Identity #SSI projects at @BlockchainComns, we are auctioning off an #NFT inspired by that theme. This original work “Identitymancer” was donated by @voodoovoid17. https://opensea.io/assets/0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e/23329406590917769582697114686361498707644446075778430145570703786260194918401/
The best way to support the DID standard is to join the W3C and vote “YES” to approve the DID CR (candidate recommendation). With overwhelming support from members, centralized parties like Google/Apple and their political gamesmanship will fail. Also, help fund @BlockchainComns! https://twitter.com/valkenburgh/status/1442894421289103361
Even if DID 1.0 passes, I am also still concerned by the dominance of LESS (Legally Enabled Self-Sovereign) Identity parties that have government support & VC backing, rather than trust-minimized methods. They are doing good work, but we need both. Thus https://opensea.io/assets/0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e/23329406590917769582697114686361498707644446075778430145570703786260194918401
RT @ChristopherA: Even if DID 1.0 passes, I am also still concerned by the dominance of LESS (Legally Enabled Self-Sovereign) Identity part…
Latest update to Gordian SeedTool for iOS & Mac from @BlockchainCmns offers our first support for Ethereum, expanding our work on responsible key management & #SmartCustody. Project lead is @WolfMcNally. More updates to come! https://twitter.com/BlockchainComns/status/1443389265379934212