Open Standards in Practice

Key Takeaways

Verifiable digital credentials only succeed at scale when they follow open standards. These standards ensure that credentials issued in one system can be read and trusted in another, across industries and borders. This section explains what open standards are, why they matter, and how they support privacy, trust, and inclusion.

What Are Open Standards

Open standards are shared technical frameworks that define how verifiable digital credentials are structured, signed, and verified. They are created collaboratively by organizations, governments, and experts to ensure global interoperability. By adhering to these frameworks:

  • Issuers can create credentials that are portable and secure.
  • Verifiers can process and validate credentials consistently.
  • Individuals can carry and use credentials securely across systems and jurisdictions.

Key standards bodies include the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). These organizations provide the foundations for digital identity verification, identity federation standards, and secure authentication protocols used worldwide.

Why Standards Matter

Without standards, identity systems remain fragmented and difficult to use. Each organization might design its own credential format, which makes it nearly impossible to verify documents across systems. Standards solve this by creating shared rules, enabling trust at scale.

Examples of interoperability include:

  • An app that holds your mobile ID issued in one state being recognized at airports in another.
  • A digital diploma being instantly verified by an employer anywhere in the world.
  • A patient record issued in one country being read securely in a different healthcare system.

This level of consistency is possible only when wallets, verifiers, and issuers align with the same technical rules. The outcome is similar to how web browsers work: no matter the country or provider, shared internet protocols ensure that websites load and function.

Standards in Action

The most widely recognized frameworks today include:

  • W3C Verifiable Credentials (VCs): A standard for expressing verifiable digital credentials on the web. VCs make it possible to share information such as proof of age, educational background, or professional qualifications while maintaining trust.
  • W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs): A method for creating unique identifiers that are not tied to any central authority. DIDs strengthen decentralized identity solutions by giving individuals more control.
  • ISO/IEC 18013-5: The international standard for mobile driver’s licenses. It defines how IDs should be issued, stored, and verified.

These standards not only define technical specifications but also provide guidelines for security and privacy.

Privacy and Inclusion

Standards also address some of the biggest concerns in digital identity: privacy and accessibility. By following open frameworks, providers can ensure that:

  • Credentials remain private and cannot be tracked across interactions.
  • Wallets work offline or in low-connectivity environments, supporting inclusion for underserved populations.
  • Systems are user-friendly, enabling adoption regardless of technical expertise.

Why This Matters

Open standards bring order to a complex ecosystem. They ensure that issuers, verifiers, and holders can work together seamlessly, regardless of jurisdiction or industry. By ensuring broad compatibility, they also reduce organizations' costs.

For governments, open standards enable secure, interoperable systems that reduce fraud and improve public service delivery. For businesses, they support scalable, standards-based security practices, from digital signatures to fraud prevention measures. And for individuals, they ensure credentials remain portable, privacy-preserving, and trustworthy across use cases.

Conclusion

Verifiable digital credentials will not achieve global adoption without consistent rules. Open standards provide the foundation for interoperability, privacy, and inclusion. They allow credentials to be trusted across borders, industries, and use cases, from airports to hospitals to universities. By aligning with standards like W3C Verifiable Credentials, ISO mDL specifications, and more, the digital identity ecosystem can grow in a way that is secure, user-friendly, and accessible to all.