IDstos

IDstos, short for Identity Data Storage and Timestamping System, is a decentralized framework for creating, storing, and verifying digital identity records with cryptographic time-stamps. It provides portable identity proofs that can be independently verified by different organizations without relying on a central authority. Core to IDstos is the combination of a decentralized identifier (DID) layer, a storage layer for actual personal data, and a timestamping layer that records cryptographic proofs on an append-only log.

Implemented as an open standard, IDstos allows individuals to maintain control of their own data, sharing only necessary attestations or hashed pointers rather than full records. Data stored off-chain can be encrypted and selectively disclosed through verifiable credentials. The timestamping layer enables verifiers to confirm that a given claim existed at a specific moment, while the DID layer provides persistent identifiers that can be rotated or recovered.

History explains that the concept emerged from a consortium of privacy researchers and developers in the late 2010s, with early prototypes appearing around 2019. A draft standard and governance proposals followed in the early 2020s, and adoption grew in education, employment, and healthcare verification efforts, accompanied by ongoing work on interoperability and regulatory alignment.

Applications include identity verification across services, credential portability for students and professionals, supply chain provenance, and consent management in healthcare. Challenges involve ensuring privacy, preventing unwanted linkage of records, handling revocation and deletion, and aligning with data protection laws and governance models.

See also: Decentralized identifiers, Verifiable credentials, Blockchain-based identity.