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Glossary

Definitions of key terms used across the W3DS and MetaState documentation. Where a concept is explained in more detail elsewhere, a link is provided.

Access​

The ability to retrieve or interact with data or services based on permissions and authentication. In W3DS, access to eVault data is governed by ACLs and resolution of identities.

Authentication​

The process of verifying the identity of a user or identifier. In W3DS, users authenticate using their W3ID via the w3ds://auth protocol; see Authentication for details.

Authorized Agent​

A user or software that has been authorized by another user to act on their behalf. Examples: Bob allows Alice to act on his behalf to file taxes; Bob authorizes a social network app to perform certain operations on his behalf, which may require the app to sign for him. See eVault Key Delegation for delegation in the prototype.

Charter​

A cryptographically signed document outlining group governance, rules, and regulations. Groups in MetaState can have charters that define how the group operates and who can perform which actions.

Credential​

A set of data relating to an identifier that is signed by an issuing party (e.g. a school diploma). See Verifiable Credential (VC).

eID (ePassport)​

A document, similar to X.509, which binds a user's W3ID and the user's Public Key. It is signed by a [digital] notary participating in PKI. See eID Wallet for how the prototype uses eID and key binding.

eIDAS 2.0​

An updated European Union regulation aimed at enhancing the security and reliability of electronic identification and trust services.

Entity​

A non-human object within the MetaState such as an organization, a platform, a business, a Group, a device, etc. that has its own eVault and can hold or verify credentials.

Envelope​

The smallest unit of data in an eVault, addressable by its unique identifier and ontology reference. Each envelope has an attached ontological definition and ACL that defines who is allowed to access it. See eVault — Data Model for how Envelopes are stored and used.

eVault​

A secure storage location or server for the management of data and credentials of a User, Post-Platform, or Group. In W3DS, each user or group has their own eVault identified by a W3ID. See eVault for the full architecture and API.

Group​

An Entity: a reference to a number of users within the MetaState that holds its own W3ID and eVault. It is often seen as a "group" in social networks.

Interoperability Profile​

A set of technical standards and protocols that enable different systems to work together seamlessly. W3DS uses a shared ontology and Web 3 Protocol as part of its interoperability profile.

Key Rotation​

The practice of changing cryptographic keys to enhance security on a regular basis or in an emergency. See also [Revoked keys / e-passports] (e.g. when an eID or key is revoked and a new one must be issued).

MetaState​

The name of the current social-oriented project that uses the Web 3.0 Data Space (W3DS) architecture. It uses eVaults and unique identifiers, allowing Post-Platforms to access data from a user's eVault and interact with it based on authorization and permissions. See Getting Started for an overview.

MetaState Prototype​

The current project to deliver the Prototype of the MetaState at TRL6, with the minimum required features and developments to produce the required functionality.

MetaEnvelope​

To group related pieces of data, Envelopes are linked together using a MetaEnvelope. Each MetaEnvelope has its own ID and points to the individual envelopes it includes. This makes it easy to bundle related info, track changes over time, and move or reference sets of data as one unit. It also helps fix duplicates by pointing everything to the correct version of an entity. See eVault — Data Model and Awareness Protocol for how MetaEnvelopes are stored and synced.

Ontology Dictionary​

A service that maps keys as defined in a Post-Platform to the schema definition of how data is referenced when stored in an eVault. Example: a post platform might refer to a name as "firstName" but it is stored as "given_name" in the vault; the Web3 Adapter stores the reference so that when the platform refers to "firstName", it means write/update/get "given_name" on the vault. See Ontology and Web3 Adapter for implementation.

Physical Binding Documents​

Signed documents by the Root CA in the system that state that an eName belongs to a user who owns a certain physical identity document.

Post-Platform (and/or Service)​

A service or platform that can operate with eVaults in the W3DS (dataless) mode. Post-platforms sync data with eVaults via the Web3 Adapter and Awareness Protocol. See Post Platform Guide.

Private Key​

A cryptographic key kept secret (e.g. in the crypto-engine of the phone) by its owner, used for digital signatures and decryption. See Signing and eID Wallet.

Provisioner​

Software that creates, controls, and updates eVaults. In the prototype, it is the "cloud service provider" software that creates eVaults. See Getting Started — Provisioning for the flow.

Public Key​

A cryptographic key derived from the corresponding Private Key. It can be freely shared in the form of an e-passport (public key certificate) and is used for encryption and signature verification. See Registry — Key binding and eVault — Key Binding.

Registry​

A Post-Platform service for discovering, storing, and retrieving information about identifiers and their eVaults/IP. In W3DS, the Registry resolves eNames to eVault URLs and provides entropy and key binding certificates.

Resolution​

The process of retrieving and verifying keys or identifiers using their specific syntax to query the corresponding network or Registry. See Registry — Resolve and W3ID — Registry Resolution.

Search Platform​

A platform that provides search/discovery service to other platforms that need to find certain users, groups, files, etc.

Selective Disclosure​

The ability to share only specific parts of data from within a Credential or information set.

User​

An individual who owns and controls their digital identity and eVault, interacting within the MetaState via any service of their choice.

User Flow​

The sequence of steps a user takes to complete a task or interaction within a system.

User Journey​

The overall experience and path a user follows when interacting within an interactive MetaState experience.

Verification​

The process of confirming the authenticity and validity of an identity, Credential, action, or claim. In W3DS, platforms verify signatures using public keys resolved via the Registry and eVault (e.g. /whois).

Verifiable Credential (VC)​

A standardized data model format for credentials that can be cryptographically signed and verified.

W3DS​

Web 3.0 Data Space: the basic architecture scheme used in the MetaState Prototype. It is a protocol that enables data synchronization across multiple platforms while ensuring users own and control their data in eVaults. See Getting Started.

Web 3.0 Identifier (W3ID / eName)​

A globally or locally unique, persistent identifier for people, eVaults, Groups, Post-Platforms, docs, or triples. It enables verifiable, persistent, and decentralized digital identity.

The Web 3.0 Identifier format is @<UUID> for global identifiers (eNames), e.g. @50e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000. Local identifiers are plain UUIDs.

See W3ID for format, resolution, and usage.

Web3 Adapter​

Software that runs next to a Post-Platform and is responsible for syncing the platform's DB with all relevant eVaults. It maps local schema to the global ontology and handles Awareness Protocol webhooks. See Web3 Adapter.

Web 3 Protocol​

The query language that a Web3 Adapter (or a Post-Platform without a Web3 Adapter) uses to talk to an eVault. In the prototype, this is implemented as the eVault GraphQL API.

Web Triad​

A Digital Self triad: (1) eName (W3ID), (2) ePassport (eID), (3) eVault.