<s>
Decentralized	B-Protocol
identifiers	I-Protocol
(	O
DIDs	O
)	O
are	O
a	O
type	O
of	O
globally	O
unique	O
identifier	O
that	O
enables	O
an	O
entity	O
to	O
be	O
identified	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
that	O
is	O
verifiable	O
,	O
persistent	O
(	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
the	O
DID	O
controller	O
desires	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
does	O
not	O
require	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
centralized	O
registry	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
DIDs	O
enable	O
a	O
new	O
model	O
of	O
decentralized	O
digital	B-Application
identity	I-Application
that	O
is	O
often	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
self-sovereign	B-General_Concept
identity	I-General_Concept
or	O
decentralized	B-General_Concept
identity	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
decentralized	B-Protocol
identifier	I-Protocol
resolves	O
(	O
points	O
)	O
to	O
a	O
DID	O
document	O
,	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
data	O
describing	O
the	O
DID	O
subject	O
,	O
including	O
mechanisms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
cryptographic	O
public	O
keys	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
DID	O
subject	O
or	O
a	O
DID	O
delegate	O
can	O
use	O
to	O
authenticate	O
itself	O
and	O
prove	O
its	O
association	O
with	O
the	O
DID	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Just	O
as	O
there	O
are	O
many	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
URIs	B-Protocol
,	O
all	O
of	O
which	O
conform	O
to	O
the	O
URI	B-Protocol
standard	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
many	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
DID	O
methods	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
which	O
must	O
conform	O
to	O
the	O
DID	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
technical	O
specifications	O
for	O
how	O
a	O
DID	O
resolver	O
can	O
apply	O
the	O
CRUD	B-General_Concept
operations	O
to	O
create	O
,	O
read	O
,	O
update	O
,	O
and	O
deactivate	O
a	O
DID	O
document	O
using	O
that	O
method	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
W3C	O
DID	O
Working	O
Group	O
maintains	O
a	O
registry	B-Protocol
of	O
DID	O
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
DID	O
identifies	O
any	O
subject	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
a	O
person	O
,	O
organization	O
,	O
thing	O
,	O
data	B-Application
model	I-Application
,	O
abstract	O
entity	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
DIDs	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
enable	O
the	O
controller	O
of	O
a	O
DID	O
to	O
prove	O
control	O
over	O
it	O
and	O
to	O
be	O
implemented	O
independently	O
of	O
any	O
centralized	O
registry	B-Protocol
,	O
identity	B-General_Concept
provider	I-General_Concept
,	O
or	O
certificate	B-Architecture
authority	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
DIDs	O
are	O
URIs	B-Protocol
that	O
associate	O
a	O
DID	O
subject	O
with	O
a	O
DID	O
document	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
a	O
data	B-Application
model	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
W3C	O
DID	O
Working	O
Group	O
developed	O
a	O
specification	O
for	O
decentralized	B-Protocol
identifiers	I-Protocol
to	O
standardize	O
the	O
core	B-Device
architecture	I-Device
,	O
data	B-Application
model	I-Application
,	O
and	O
representation	O
of	O
DIDs	O
.	O
</s>
