- On July 16, Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, extended an offer to Elon Musk to combat the rising issue of account hacks and scam bots on X (formerly Twitter).
- Hoskinson introduced the idea of integrating Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) to solve these security challenges.
- “Elon, we need DIDs integrated into X. It solves all of these problems. Again, I’ll do it for free,” Hoskinson emphasized through an X post.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson proposes a blockchain-agnostic DID solution to Elon Musk for securing X from scams and hacks.
Cardano Founder Suggests DID Integration to Elon Musk
Charles Hoskinson, the brain behind Cardano, reached out to Elon Musk through a public post on X, advocating for the integration of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) to handle ongoing security breaches and scam bot proliferation. His offer came in light of a recent incident where Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNet, had his account compromised and misused for scam link distribution.
Debate on Decentralized Identity Implementation
The discourse around DIDs has sparked extensive debate regarding their implementation. Timothy Ruff, General Partner at Digital Trust Ventures, critiqued Hoskinson’s approach, arguing that it could inadvertently centralize aspects of X that should remain decentralized. “If you’re using ‘DIDs’ as short for decentralized identity (it’s not) and it’s on some blockchain, it’s not decentralized and should not be integrated into X,” Ruff contended.
Clarification and Support for DID Standards
Hoskinson addressed Ruff’s concerns by clarifying the nature of the DID technology. He explained, “I’m referring to the w3c standard and we have a blockchain-agnostic hyperledger project to issue and manage DIDs, anoncreds, and other parts of the identity stack. X has to have an enhanced identity solution because of its desire to become an MSB.” Emphasizing the need for improved security and compliance on X, Hoskinson reiterated that his intent was not to promote Cardano but to better secure the platform as essential public infrastructure.
Industry Expert Opinions
Ruff acknowledged Hoskinson’s credibility but remained skeptical about the reliance on blockchain. “My team helped launch the W3C spec, invent DIDs, and literally wrote Anoncreds, Hyperledger Indy, Aries, and Ursa. So I get it. Glad you’re not shilling a particular blockchain, but by ‘blockchain agnostic’ do you mean it still depends on some blockchain?” Ruff inquired.
Reassurance on Blockchain-Agnostic Solutions
Hoskinson responded by emphasizing that DID frameworks do not inherently rely on blockchains. “Tim, I recall talking to Manu and Chris extensively throughout the years on the DID standard and have been a member of DIF and the W3C for just as long. No, as you’re aware DID frameworks do not require blockchains. That’s a different part of the stack and shouldn’t influence design,” he elucidated.
Practical Applications of DID Technology
Seira Yun, CEO at Socious and a Cardano ambassador, highlighted real-world applications of DIDs. “The Socious Wallet leverages Hyperledger Identus (formerly Atala PRISM), compatible with W3C standards. Companies and educational institutions use Socious to issue KYC verifiable credentials (VCs), as well as work and educational certificates,” Yun noted.
Conclusion
The Cardano community has largely supported Hoskinson’s proposal, urging Elon Musk to consider the integration of DIDs to enhance X’s security framework. As of now, Musk’s response remains pending. At the current time of writing, Cardano (ADA) is trading at $0.446, reflecting the ongoing interest and potential within the crypto community.
