Richard Esplin is currently the product manager responsible for Evernym’s contributions to the Hyperledger Indy project and the Sovrin identity network. He is an open source advocate and technology evangelist who loves creating products that not only meet business goals but also benefit the larger community and will share in this webinar why open source is relevant to Self-Sovereign Identity. This presentation is specifically designed to help SSI evangelists better communicate these concepts to team members, clients, and the interested public. Most technology professionals today are familiar with open source software, but many are unclear on why this approach to software development and licensing is important for building or selecting technologies that implement self-sovereign identities (SSIs). SSI empowers individuals with specific rights and responsibilities. Open source software enables SSI by providing the required technologies under software licenses that support those rights. These software licenses encourage collaborative development and ensure users that the identities based on these technologies are secure and cannot be taken away. We will cover: What makes an identity self-sovereign, and why most digital identity solutions today are not SSI. How open source software helps to address many of the problems with digital identity solutions. What drives the development of free and open source software. How the open source movement has impacted society. Why consumers frequently prefer open source technologies. The different types of open source licenses, and how they influence commercial models.

1. https://creativecommons.org/lic
enses/by-sa/4.0/
Self-Sovereign Identity and
Open Source Software
Richard Esplin
Product Manager Evernym
Hyperledger Indy project and the Sovrin identity Network
November 12, 2018

2. 1. Empower global SSI communities
2. Open to everyone interested in SSI
3. All content is shared with CC BY SA
SSIMeetup.org
Alex Preukschat @SSIMeetup @AlexPreukschat
Coordinating Node SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
SSIMeetup objectives

4. What is Self Sovereign Identity?
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

5. Carriers of Identity

6. Digital Identity

7. Also Known As
User-Centric Identity
User-Controlled Identity
User-Owned Identity
Bring Your Own Identity
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

8. A Brief History of Open Source
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

9. Sharing Early Software
The money is in the
hardware, so why bother
protecting software?
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

10. Unix Culture
Software isn’t our
business.
Unix is academic.
Sharing gets things done.

11. Homebrew
Hobbyist exploring the limits of computing.
Bill Gates:
Sharing software is theft.

12. Free Software
Free as in Freedom. (Free as in Speech.)
Sharing is a moral duty.
Proprietary software keeps users divided
and helpless.
Proprietary software does not allow users
to have control of their computing.
Copyleft: hack copyright to enforce sharing.

13. Open Source
Open source is better
engineering.
With many eyes, all bugs
are shallow.
Scratch your own itch.
Don’t reinvent the wheel.
Collaboration is fun.

14. Open Culture
Art and media
Legal access
Scientific data access
Scientific hardware
Bio-hacking
Maker movement
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

15. Principles of FLOSS
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

16. Free Software
Open Source Software
Libre Software
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

17. The Four Freedoms
0. Run the program for any purpose.
1. Study how the program works.
2. Redistribute the program.
3. Improve the program, and redistribute the
improvements.

18. Open Source Definition
1. Free Redistribution
2. Source Code Availability
3. Derived Works Allowed
4. Integrity of the Author’s Source Code
5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
7. Distribution of License
8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

19. Commercial Open Source
Provides customers with:
● A focus on support
● Vendor independence
● Vendor risk mitigation
● An improved negotiating
position
● Compliance with policy
● Fast adoption (no purchase
necessary!)
● An ancillary social benefit
And has a reputation for:
● Low price
● Security
● Innovation
● Transparency
● Interoperability
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

20. Three Types of Licenses
1. Gift:
Apache
2. Sharing with Rules:
GPL
3. In-Between:
LGPL
Bruce Perens, 2009
https://www.datamation.com/osrc/article.php/3803101/Bruce-Perens-How-Many-Open-Source-Licenses-Do-You-Need.htm

21. Three Types of Licenses
1. Gift:
Maximize adoption, standards, and
collaboration.
Usually community governed.
Apache, CC0, BSD, MIT,
Public Domain, Artistic
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

22. Three Types of Licenses
2. Sharing with Rules:
Share-alike, including derivatives.
Respect the user, while allowing the
copyright holder a privileged position (a
competitive advantage).
Often vendor driven.
GPL, AGPL, CC-SA
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

23. Three Types of Licenses
3. In-Between:
Share-alike changes to the received
work, but not to derivatives.
Respect the user, retain product control,
but allow adoption in a wide set of
derivatives.
LGPL, MPL
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

24. Good Reads

25. Open Source and SSI
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

26. Ten Principles of Self-Sovereign Identity
1. Users must have an independent existence.
2. Users must control their identities.
3. Users must have access to their own data.
4. Systems and algorithms must be transparent.
5. Identities must be long-lived.
6. Information and services about identity must be transportable.
7. Identities should be as widely used as possible.
8. Users must agree to the use of their identity.
9. Disclosure of claims must be minimized.
10. The rights of users must be protected.
Christopher Allen, 2016
http://www.lifewithalacrity.com/2016/04/the-path-to-self-soverereign-identity.html

27. A Brief Story
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

28. Alice uses a proprietary SSI solution . . .
Alice Bob Soul-less
Mega-corp
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

29. Alice uses a proprietary SSI solution . . .
Alice Bob Soul-less
Mega-corp
$$
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

30. Alice uses a proprietary SSI solution . . .
Alice Bob Soul-less
Mega-corp
$$$$$$
X
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

31. Alice uses an open SSI solution . . .
Alice Bob Soul-less
Mega-corp
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

32. Alice uses an open SSI solution . . .
Alice Bob Soul-less
Mega-corp
$$
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

33. Alice uses an open SSI solution . . .
Alice Bob Soul-less
Mega-corp
$$$$$$
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

34. Alice uses an open SSI solution . . .
Alice Bob Soul-less
Mega-corp
$$$
$$$
Carol
$$
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

35. More Than Code
SSIMeetup.org
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/4.0/

36. Creating Trust
Moral Pressure
Reputational Pressure
Institutional Pressure
Security Systems
Bruce Schneier, 2012
Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive

37. The BLT
Business
Legal
Technical

38. Sovrin Trust Framework

39. Evernym’s Design Requirements
A reliable self-sovereign solution:
● Provides an open source option
● Implements open standards
● Is private by design
● And private by default
● Exists within a trust framework

40. https://creativecommons.org/lic
enses/by-sa/4.0/
Self-Sovereign Identity and
Open Source Software
Richard Esplin
Product Manager Evernym
Hyperledger Indy project and the Sovrin identity Network
November 12, 2018