The W3C Decentralized Identifier Working Group has published an updated Working Draft of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.1 advancing a specification that underpins digital wallets, verifiable credentials, and emerging identity systems for AI agents.
The v1.1 update refines how cryptographic material and verification methods are expressed in DID documents – the machine-readable files that describe how a decentralized identifier is controlled and how its controller can be authenticated. These verification methods are the mechanism by which any party resolving a DID can confirm ownership and authorize actions without relying on a central authority.
The refinements have direct implications for interoperability between digital wallet systems. As implementations of the EU Digital Identity Wallet, ISO mobile driving licences, and W3C Verifiable Credentials multiply across jurisdictions, consistent expression of cryptographic material becomes a prerequisite for cross-border credential acceptance. A DID document whose verification methods are ambiguously specified cannot reliably interoperate with wallets or relying parties built to different interpretations of the earlier v1.0 specification.
The update also addresses a growing concern in the identity industry: how autonomous AI agents can prove their identity without human intervention. Agentic systems that act on behalf of users – booking appointments, executing transactions, accessing services – need machine-verifiable identity credentials. DIDs, which do not require a central issuing agency and can be resolved by any party, are a candidate architecture for this use case, and the v1.1 clarifications make that path more viable.
The specification builds on W3C’s expanding body of digital identity standards, which also includes the Digital Credentials API, a browser-native interface for presenting verifiable credentials currently progressing through the standards track. The DID v1.1 working draft is not a final W3C standard and remains subject to change before advancing to Candidate Recommendation status.
Sources: W3C
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By Ji-seo Kim
