mobilnym

Mobilnym is a hypothetical framework used to illustrate a mobile-centric digital identity and data portability standard. The term combines the Polish root mobilny (mobile) with the -nym suffix to denote a naming and identity construct. The project envisions a cross-platform registry that assigns persistent, cryptographically verifiable identifiers to users and devices, enabling controlled data sharing across apps and services while preserving user privacy.

Architecture: It comprises an identity layer, a mobile naming registry, and a portable data envelope. The identity layer provides non-fungible tokens or revocable credentials; the naming registry resolves human-readable aliases to cryptographic identifiers; the data envelope carries minimal, consented data with optional encryption.

Features: human-readable nicknames, self-sovereign identifiers, fine-grained permission models, offline resolvability using distributed caches, and standard APIs for app development. Privacy by design is central, with data minimization and consent management baked into the protocol.

History and status: Mobilnym emerged from collaborative discussions among developers and privacy advocates in the early 2020s as a conceptual approach. It has seen experimental implementations in several open-source projects, but no single governing standard has been adopted widely. Adoption remains limited and fragmented, with debates over scalability, security, and usability.

Impact and reception: Proponents argue it could simplify cross-app data portability and reduce vendor lock-in; critics point to complexity and potential attack surfaces in identity resolution and data governance. See also: digital identity, data portability, interoperability, self-sovereign identity.