TopFaq - XDI.ORG Wiki

XDI.ORG Top FAQ

On this page we provide answers to the top frequently-asked questions about XDI.ORG. We are also completing answers to detailed FAQs in the following categories.

Registration - i-name and i-number registration
Privacy and Security - privacy and security for i-names andi-numbers
Development - open source and commercial development projects
Technical - the XRI and XDI protocols
Legal - legal topics including intellectual property rights
Governance - how XDI.ORG is organized and governed

1. What does XDI.ORG do and who might choose to care?

The vision of an accountable, trustworthy layer on the Internet is described well in The Accountable Net from the Aspen Institute. XDI.ORG is an international public trust organization founded to provide standards and services instrumental in building this new layer. Specifically its purpose is to:

Manage the intellectual property rights for a new data interchange protocol,
Contribute these rights to open, public, royalty-free standards,
Offer global services that help individuals and communities interoperate using these standards.

Your participation in, and contribution to, XDI.ORG will help shape the emergence of this trust layer.

2. What is the primary purpose of XRI and XDI?

Together, XRI and XDI solve the twin problems of persistent identity and trusted data sharing relationships by providing the technical foundation for linking people and organizations in a "Web of trust" just the way the Web lets us link pages in a "Web of text".

XRIs (Extensible Resource Identifier) addresses a longstanding problem on the Internet: how to have a persistent, portable, privacy-protected identifier for any resource, from a person to a company to an application to a concept.

XDI (XRI Data Interchange) uses XRIs to securely and privately share, link, and synchronize data between any two devices, domains, or applications – and maintain this link for as long as the two parties want to keep a data sharing relationship.

3. What are i-names and i-numbers?

An i-name is a human-friendly "nickname" intended for everyday use in browers, email clients, Web pages – anyplace a Web address (URI) would appear today. Although designed to be very long-lived, an e-name can (like a domain name) be transfered between registrants.

An i-name in turn maps to an i-number, which is a machine-friendly identifier similar to an IP address, that is the persistent address of a resource, i.e., it will never change once it is assigned.

4. What do i-names and i-numbers provide that other addresses don't?

I-Names and I-numbers offer three key features not provided by any other address:

Privacy. Because an i-name or i-number is not itself a communications address like an email address or phone number, it is unspammable. You simply can't send it email, call it, or send it a fax directly unless the owner has given you permission. If you don't have permission, you can use an i-name to make a contact request of the owner. These requests can be automatically filtered by your i-broker to eliminate all but legitimate requests for contact.
Persistence. Together, i-names and i-numbers are the first true universal addresses designed to last for a lifetime. Unlike any other form of address – postal address, telephone number, fax number, email address, domain name, etc. – i-names and i-numbers never need to change when a person or company moves, changes service providers, or even changes their real-world name.
Portability. Global i-names and i-numbers – those registered directly with XDI.ORG – are guaranteed to be portable among i-brokers (the service providers that offer i-name/i-number data sharing applications) anywhere in the world.

5. What else will I be able to do with a personal i-name and data sharing account?

As adoption of XDI grows, your i-name will be your key to a wide variety of automated, privacy-protected personal data sharing services, including auto-sign-on, auto-site-registration, auto-address books, auto-calendar services, one-click purchasing, and smart spam filters. You can also have multiple global i-names (i-names registered directly with XDI.ORG) or multiple local i-names (i-names registered under the i-name of a i-broker.) The same is true of i-numbers.i

6. How can I be sure my i-name and i-number data is kept private and secure?

Besides conventional network security safeguards, at the i-broker level there are 3 new types of protection. First, in order to serve as a global i-name/i-number registrar with XDI.ORG, a i-broker must publish their privacy, security, and accountability policies in a standard form and location. Secondly, they must participate in a reputation service hosted by XDI.ORG into which all registrants using a particular i-broker can provide feedback. Thirdly, brokers may also join trust federations such as [Identity Commons] that ensure that their members are accountable to follow best practices for privacy and security protection.

In addition, when you share any personal data using your e-name account, the XDI protocol negotiates a link contract between you and the subscribing party. This link contract will include the privacy and security terms of the data sharing relationship to be followed by both i-brokers involved.

7. Who is using e-names today and how can I get one?

The first trust federation to use i-names, i-numbers, and XDI for interoperable data sharing is [Identity Commons]. XDI.ORG and Identity Commons are cooperating on an initial i-name/e-number test program called the Identity Commons Early Global Services (EGS) Program. Under this program a limited number of individuals and organizations can obtain global personal and organizational i-names for personal contact gateways and single sign-on among Identity Commons communities. Please see the [Identity Commons EGS home page] for more information. XDI.ORG plans to make unlimited registration of global i-names and i-numbers available in late fall 2004.