W3C group releases five draft specifications on verifiable credentials

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Verifiable Credentials Working Group has published five First Public Working Drafts related to digital credential technologies.

Verifiable credentials are a way to represent information, such as identity documents or certificates, in a digital format that can be securely shared and verified.

The drafts are divided into two categories. The first group includes updated versions of existing standards, with minor changes. These focus on ensuring the integrity and authenticity of digital credentials using cryptographic methods, including digital signatures based on algorithms such as EdDSA and ECDSA.

These specifications define how data can be protected from tampering and how systems can verify that a credential has been issued by a trusted source.

The second group introduces new specifications. One of these, VCALM, defines how credentials can be issued, presented, and verified across systems, including the use of web-based protocols. Another focuses on integrating verifiable credentials with physical formats, such as barcodes used on identity documents and travel records.

These barcode-based approaches aim to allow digital verification while remaining compatible with existing printed formats.

All five documents are at an early stage in the standardisation process and are open for public feedback.