Decentralized Identity with Blockchains

Intriguing application proposal. More at the link below, including a number of initial participants and goals.

Microsoft will use a Blockchain to Decentralize Data for better control    By Kevin Parrish   @exfileme

'The Pillars of a new Ecosystem'

Microsoft said on Monday, February 13, that it plans to use blockchain technology to give you more control over your digital identity. Alex Simons, director of program management at Microsoft’s Identity Division, says the company invested in incubating a set of ideas relying on blockchain technology over the last 12 months. Monday’s update will be the first of many regarding how Microsoft plans to use that technology to create decentralized identities (DIDs). ...

Of course, this isn’t a platform Microsoft can tackle alone. It’s working with individuals and organizations through the Decentralized Identify Foundation to create an ecosystem that supports decentralized identities. There are four basic components in this initiative: A W3C-based specification that defines a Decentralized Identifier, an encrypted identity datastore, a server that revolves DIDs across blockchains, and another W3C-based spec called Verified Credentials.  ... " 

(Update) More on this in Computerworld. ....