Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, has volunteered to assist Elon Musk in dealing with hacking and scam bots in X and suggested using Decentralized Identifiers (DID). Charles Hoskinson made this offer known on July 16th, stressing that this is free.
Hoskinson Proposes DIDs to Enhance X Security
Incidents of security threats on X have revealed the need to enhance security standards. SingularityNet’s CEO Ben Goertzel’s account was hacked and used to spread scam links, and he has since apologized. According to Charles Hoskinson, DIDs, which have been recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), could solve these problems.
Hoskinson took a direct approach and said to Musk, “Elon, we need DIDs integrated into X. It solves all of these problems.” He also stressed that the technology is standard-compliant and cross-chain. This proposal has led to a larger discussion regarding decentralized identity technologies.
Ruff Criticizes Charles Hoskinson DID Proposal for X
Timothy Ruff from Digital Trust Ventures General Partner said that Hoskinson’s proposal might centralize some of X’s elements.
Ruff said, “If you are using DIDs, short for decentralized identity, and located on some blockchain, then it is not decentralized.”
In response to this, Hoskinson explained his position further.
Hoskinson noted that his suggestion is different from Cardano’s. He pointed to the W3C standard and said the company had a Hyperledger project not tied to any specific blockchain to issue and manage DIDs.
Charles Hoskinson Clarifies DID Frameworks Not Blockchain-Based
In another statement, Hoskinson said that DIDs would enhance X by eliminating bots and enhancing compliance structures. He proposed including the solution without charge, explaining, “It is a straightforward process, and I will gladly do it for free. I want X to improve since it is a key public utility.” This complies with the company’s plans to become an MSB.
Seira Yun, the Founder and CEO of Socious, also backed this technology, saying that it helps issue verifiable credentials. Yun noted that the Socious Wallet uses what is now called Hyperledger Identus (previously known as Atala PRISM), which is compliant with the W3C standards for identity management. As such, this is an actual use case for the technology.
Hoskinson also answered Ruff’s concern about the dependence on the blockchain and stated that DID frameworks do not have to be based on blockchain.
He said, “No because you know that frameworks do not need blockchains; that is a different layer of architecture that should not affect it.”
This statement points to the fact that the solution proposed is not rigid.
Musk Silent on Hoskinson’s Security Proposal
Thus, most of the Cardano community has backed Hoskinson’s offer and invited Elon Musk to consider the proposal. But Musk has not yet reacted to Hoskinson’s offer. This continuous debate illustrates the need for robust security measures in today’s digital world.
Hoskinson’s proposal is a bold attempt to solve the eminent problem of account hacks and scam bots on X. This paper has discussed how, with the aid of decentralized identifiers, X can improve its system’s security and users’ experience. The discourse goes on; however, the opportunities for its application are evident.
