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@ChristopherA - My Work & Mission
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ChristopherA-My-Work-and-Mission.md

My Work & Mission

#AboutChristopherA

I'm Christopher Allen, an entrepreneur, technologist, and advocate for trust, security, and digital sovereignty. My journey began with co-authoring the IETF TLS internet standard, the foundation of secure web commerce. Over the years, I've been privileged to contribute to the evolution of self-sovereign identity (SSI) and decentralized identity standards.

My career path includes roles such as Principal Architect at Blockstream, VP of Developer Relations at Blackphone, and CTO of Certicom. Currently, I lead Blockchain Commons, focusing on cryptographic security, open infrastructure, and ensuring that individuals—not corporations or governments—control their own digital destinies.

My approach to technology is deeply rooted in values that prioritize human dignity, individual autonomy, and security by design. I believe that trust and transparency should be fundamental to digital infrastructure, ensuring that people—not corporations or governments—remain in control of their own data and identities. More about my design philosophy can be found in How My Values Inform Design.

#RecentAppearances

#MusingsOfATrustArchitect

Through my writing, I explore trust, security, and digital sovereignty, challenging how we design identity, privacy, and cryptographic systems.

#OpenDevelopment

I believe open source isn’t enough. Code alone doesn’t build communities, ensure longevity, or protect users. We need Open Development—a model that integrates transparency, governance, and long-term stewardship.

Open Development means:

#BlockchainCommons

Blockchain Commons is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating open, interoperable, secure, and compassionate digital infrastructure. Our mission is to empower individuals to control their digital destinies and maintain human dignity online.

2024 Initiatives:

  • Advocacy and Education: We continued to promote the importance of self-sovereign identity and digital rights, engaging with policymakers and the community to influence legislation that protects individual freedoms in the digital realm.

  • Community Engagement: Through events like the Rebooting Web of Trust workshops, we facilitated discussions among experts to advance decentralized trust and identity solutions.

  • Open Development: We championed the principles of open development, ensuring that our projects are transparent, community-driven, and aligned with the broader goals of the open-source movement.

For more details see our Blockchain Commons 2024 Overview.

#GordianTechnology

The Gordian Technology stack embodies Blockchain Commons’ commitment to practical tools and specifications that enhance digital security and privacy. In 2024, we focused on several key advancements:

  • Gordian Envelope: Our smart document architecture designed for secure, reliable, and deterministic data storage and transmission. It emphasizes privacy through data minimization and selective disclosure, allowing users to control what information is shared. oai_citation_attribution:1‡developer.blockchaincommons.com

  • dCBOR: A deterministic profile of the CBOR data format, ensuring consistent data representation across different platforms. This standardization is crucial for applications requiring reliable data interchange.

  • FROST (Flexible Round-Optimized Schnorr Threshold Signatures): We supported the development and implementation of FROST, a cryptographic scheme that enables secure, efficient, and private multisignatures. This technology enhances the resilience and security of digital signatures.

  • Gordian Seed Tool: An iOS application that allows users to create, store, and manage cryptographic seeds securely. It serves as an independent, private, and resilient vault for the foundational secrets used in various cryptocurrencies.

  • Gordian Reference Apps: A suite of applications, including Gordian Server and Gordian Wallet, demonstrating best practices in secure and private digital asset management. These tools exemplify our architectural principles in real-world scenarios.

These developments reflect our dedication to providing individuals with the tools and knowledge necessary to maintain sovereignty over their digital identities and assets.

For more details:

#OpenIntegrityProject

The Open Integrity Project is an initiative by Blockchain Commons aimed at integrating cryptographic trust mechanisms into Git repositories. By leveraging Git’s native SSH signing capabilities and structured verification processes, this project ensures transparency, provenance, and immutability for software projects.

Objectives:

  • Establish Cryptographic Roots of Trust: Implement mechanisms that authenticate the origin and integrity of code within Git repositories.
  • Enhance Software Transparency: Ensure that all code changes are traceable and verifiable, promoting accountability in software development.
  • Promote Secure Development Practices: Encourage the adoption of cryptographic signing and verification to protect against unauthorized code modifications.

Key Components:

  • Inception Commit: A specially crafted initial commit that serves as the cryptographic foundation for the repository, establishing an immutable trust anchor.
  • Allowed Commit Signers File: A configuration that defines authorized committers, ensuring that only verified contributors can make changes to the codebase.
  • Structured Verification Processes: Tools and scripts that automate the validation of commit signatures and enforce repository integrity policies.

For more detailed information and to contribute to the project, visit the Open Integrity Project GitHub repository.

#SelfSovereignIdentity

My passion for Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) stems from a commitment to individual autonomy in the digital realm:

#RebootingWebOfTrust

I am the founder and host of Rebooting Web of Trust (RWOT), an ongoing collaborative event where thought leaders, researchers, and developers come together to advance decentralized identity and trust technologies. Since 2015, RWOT has played a significant role in shaping the evolution of self-sovereign identity, decentralized identifiers (DIDs), and verifiable credentials (VCs).

Through these gatherings, we have facilitated the development of key principles and technologies that have influenced standards bodies such as the W3C and IETF. If you’re interested in contributing to the next wave of digital trust solutions, you can learn more at WebOfTrust.info.

#Foremembrance

History has shown us the dangers of centralized identity control. During WWII, 75% of Dutch Jews perished due to meticulous identity records, while only 23% in France—where census records were disrupted. Regime change happens. Identity can be weaponized.

We must design digital identity to protect, not endanger. That’s why I created Foremembrance, a yearly moment to reflect on the consequences of identity mismanagement and recommit to ethical design principles.

#LifeWithAlacrity

Life With Alacrity is my long-standing blog where I delve into themes of trust, collaboration, digital identity, and community dynamics. Below is a curated selection of articles, organized by related topics:

Collective Governance and Decision-Making

  • A Revised “Ostrom’s Design Principles for Collective Governance of the Commons”
    An updated interpretation of Elinor Ostrom’s principles, tailored for modern collective governance scenarios.

  • A Spectrum of Consent
    An exploration of various consent and consensus models, analyzing their effectiveness in decision-making processes.

  • Systems for Collective Choice
    A comprehensive examination of different methods societies use to make collective decisions, including voting systems and consensus-building techniques.

Community Dynamics and Social Structures

  • The Dunbar Number as a Limit to Group Size
    Analyzing the cognitive limit on stable relationships and its implications for social networks and online communities.

  • Dunbar & World of Warcraft
    Extending the Dunbar Number concept to online gaming, studying how community size affects player interactions and social cohesion in virtual worlds.

  • Community by the Numbers Series
    A deep dive into how communities function at different scales, from intimate groups to large networks, and how size impacts governance, trust, and collaboration.

  • Dyads & Triads — The Smallest Teams
    Exploring the effectiveness of two-person (dyads) and three-person (triads) teams in decision-making, innovation, and trust dynamics.

Shared Language and Artifacts

  • Creating Shared Language and Shared Artifacts
    Discussing the importance of developing common terminologies and collaborative tools to enhance group cohesion and understanding.

  • Deep Context Shared Languages
    Investigating how shared languages with deep contextual meanings can facilitate complex communication within communities.

These writings reflect my ongoing exploration of how trust, identity, and collaboration shape our digital and social worlds. For the full archive, visit Life With Alacrity.

#GameDesign

I am fascinated by the art and craft of collaboration, and have its practice and the study of how and why collaboration works at the center of my professional career as an entrepreneur, a software architect, as also as a creator, producer & publisher in the game and graphic novel industries.

My passion for game design to support collaboration has led to several collaborative projects:

  • Meeples Together
    Co-authored with Shannon Appelcline, this 384-page book delves into the design of cooperative board games, analyzing various game mechanics and dynamics.

  • Tableau Game System
    An innovative collaborative storytelling game system emphasizing character development and versatility across various genres.

#Collaboration

If my work resonates with you, let’s connect! I’m always open to collaborations, discussions, and partnerships that advance privacy, security, and sovereignty.

I’m based in Lafayette, CA (PDT) and open to video calls, lunch meetings, or in-person discussions at events like IIW. Let’s build a better future together!

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