Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@ChristopherA

ChristopherA/ChristopherA-My-Work-and-Mission.md

Last active May 14, 2025 21:47
Show Gist options
  • Save ChristopherA/a5082a08d17bdc4ebb2debb9a5cbb529 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Save ChristopherA/a5082a08d17bdc4ebb2debb9a5cbb529 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Download ZIP
@ChristopherA - My Work & Mission
Raw
ChristopherA-My-Work-and-Mission.md

My Work & Mission

#AboutChristopherA

I'm Christopher Allen, an Internet trust architect, entrepreneur, technologist, and advocate dedicated to supporting human dignity and personal autonomy free from coercion. 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, including co-authoring the W3C Decentralized Identifier (DID) standard).

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 destiny.

My approach to technology is deeply rooted in values that prioritize human dignity, individual autonomy, and trust 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.

#Recent Interviews

#MusingsOfATrustArchitect

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

More Musings…

#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 or 2025 Q1 Summary.

#OpenDevelopment

I believe open source isn’t enough. To build resilient, sustainable, secure & compassion digital infrastructure, we must go beyond open source. Code alone doesn’t foster communities, ensure longevity, or protect users. We need Open Development—a model that integrates infrastructure, governance, and long-term stewardship. Open Development includes collaboration, transparent decision-making, public discussions, and support for infrastructure.

#OpenIntegrityProject

The Open Integrity Project is a Blockchain Commons initiative to bring trust, provenance, and accountability to Git repositories—strengthening the foundations of open-source development. Today’s software supply chains face hidden risks: unsigned commits, unverifiable maintainers, and ambiguous change histories. Open Integrity addresses these challenges by embedding cryptographic trust directly into Git workflows.

Using inception commits and trust-transition commits, the project creates a verifiable chain of custodianship—tracking who originally created, currently controls, and has contributed to a repository over time. Built entirely with familiar Git and SSH tools, Open Integrity reinforces digital infrastructure with trust-by-design, making open source not just accessible, but resilient, transparent, and dependable.

By leveraging Git’s native SSH signing and structured verification processes, Open Integrity brings authenticity and immutability to every stage of software development.

Objectives

  • Establish Cryptographic Roots of Trust
    Authenticate the origin and integrity of code by anchoring trust at the repository’s inception.
  • Enhance Software Transparency
    Ensure that all contributions are traceable and verifiable, promoting accountability in open collaboration.
  • Promote Secure Development Practices
    Encourage widespread adoption of commit signing and verification to defend against unauthorized or untrustworthy code changes.

Key Components

  • Inception Commit
    A signed, initial commit that serves as the cryptographic foundation for the repository—establishing a verifiable and immutable trust anchor from day one.
  • Allowed Commit Signers File
    A declarative configuration listing verified contributors, ensuring only trusted individuals can modify the codebase.
  • Structured Verification Processes
    Scripts and tooling to validate commit signatures, enforce contributor policies, and maintain long-term integrity within Git repositories.

🔗 Overview Article: blockchaincommons.com/musings/open-integrity
📂 GitHub Repository: Open Integrity Project on GitHub
🖊 Inception Commit Example: View Commit
🔐 My SSH Signing Keys on GitHub: View Keys

#XIDProject

The XID (eXtensible IDentifier) Project is a Blockchain Commons initiative enabling privacy-preserving pseudonymous identity with progressive trust building. XIDs are stable 32-byte identifiers derived from cryptographic keys, wrapped in Gordian Envelope data structures that support both verification and selective disclosure.

Unlike conventional digital identifiers controlled by platforms or authorities, XIDs embody true self-sovereign identity principles by putting individuals in complete control of their digital presence. This allows for pseudonymous participation in sensitive contexts while building verifiable trust through cryptographic signatures.

Key Features

  • Stable Identity Through Change - Maintain a consistent identifier even through key rotation and device changes
  • Selective Disclosure by Design - Reveal only what's necessary while preserving cryptographic integrity
  • Progressive Trust Building - Gradually share more information as relationships develop
  • Self-Attestation Framework - Create structured, verifiable claims about your pseudonymous identity
  • Peer Endorsement Model - Build trust networks while maintaining privacy

XIDs represent a fundamentally different approach to digital identity—starting from privacy and individual agency, rather than surveillance and institutional control, addressing critical needs for human rights advocates, whistleblowers, and contributors to politically sensitive projects.

Project Status: Experimental GitHub Repository: https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/XID-Quickstart

#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:

#SelfSovereignIdentity

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) is both a human-centric ideology and a technological architecture to give people the same agency over their digital selves as they have over their physical lives. Rooted in dignity and self-determination, it empowers people to manage relationships and interactions without relying on centralized authorities.

#DigitalAdvocacy

#PrincipalAuthority

Wyoming’s pioneering digital identity law (SF0039, 2021) grants individuals “principal authority” over their digital personas to enhance personal autonomy and actively support self-sovereign identity. This transformative legal framework moves digital identity governance beyond traditional property law, to enable delegation through established fiduciary and agency principles to promote transparency, adaptability, and strong alignment with decentralized, peer-to-peer digital ecosystems.

#KeyDisclosureProtection

Wyoming’s “Disclosure of Private Cryptographic Keys Act” (HB0086, 2023) prohibits compelling individuals to reveal private cryptographic keys in legal proceedings, safeguarding digital autonomy and self-sovereign identity. This law acknowledges that private keys are critical for controlling digital assets and identity, and their forced disclosure can lead to irreparable harm. By preventing such compulsion, Wyoming enhances digital asset security and aligns legal frameworks with the decentralized nature of digital ecosystems.

#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.

  • Polis Play Polis Play is a game that blends the art of governance with the dynamics of play. At its core, it's about the ever-evolving landscape of rules and strategies, where players engage in crafting, discussing, and amending rules to shape the game's progression. Polis Play is designed to accommodate 3-9 players, and offers two distinct versions - Competitive and Cooperative - each providing a unique experience.

#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!

Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment