At GlobaliD, we’ve been on a mission from day one to provide every individual with a digital identity that they own and control. Last year, we took that one step further, giving users the ability to own and control their money with the release of our non-custodial wallet.
It’s also why, today, we’re announcing that we’re transitioning to the Universal Namespace. This will allow users to own and control a unique name associated with their digital identity through an independent third-party namespace rather than one managed by GlobaliD.
A namespace is simply a set of unique names that are tied to different types of things so they can be easily identified. In the context of the internet, the Domain Name System or DNS namespace tied domain names to relevant IP addresses so that people could easily find the websites they were looking for.
The concept of a namespace is key to the mainstreaming of digital
identity — just as it was for the mainstreaming of the internet. The early internet was a fragmented mess. The only way to find anything was through hard-to-memorize IP addresses. With the arrival of DNS, we could now visit wikipedia.com rather than 80.190.205.15.
In a sense, the DNS namespace made the internet more human.
The same goes for digital identity, which is even more complex than simply visiting a website. Someone you want to interact with may have many public keys, URLs, or platform accounts you need to keep track of. Now, all you need is their unique name.
At GlobaliD, we’ve been thinking deeply about namespaces over the last few years — we published our first white paper on the subject in the beginning of 2019. As an early mover in the digital identity space, we’ve often had to come up with original concepts and terms in order to help develop and push the industry forward.
That’s also been the case when it came to a namespace for identity. As such, we originally built a namespace in-house. But the long term vision was always for the namespace to be managed independently outside of GlobaliD. That’s something we laid out in our white paper. Ultimately, we believe the namespace should be a public good.
We now have the opportunity to make that vision a reality.
For GlobaliD, this is a big step toward interoperability with other digital identity platforms. For instance, GlobaliD may support additional namespaces in the future, giving users a choice over their service provider. Regardless of which namespace you choose, your unique name will always be attached to a verifiable credential that you control.
In all, this is an incredibly exciting evolution for GlobaliD’s digital identity offering.
The transition will require one additional step for you, the user, but we truly believe that the end destination — where individuals control their name, their identity, and their money — is worth the effort.
The simplest way for this transition to work is for existing users to re-onboard with GlobaliD and claim a new name through the Universal Namespace.
This transition does mean that users will lose their existing identity history on the platform once they re-onboard with a new name. That includes things like chat history, vouches, and verifications.
This wasn’t an easy decision to make and we’re incredibly empathetic to our early adopters, but ultimately, it became clear that this was the best path forward, one most aligned with our values and vision.
For GlobaliD, this clean slate is also an opportunity for us to provide major upgrades to our messaging and wallet platforms as well as a bevy of new features that will arrive with our next generation digital identity platforms, which will be released in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, users will still be able to access their wallets via their private key, but they will no longer be able to access it through the app.
For now, you can head over to the Universal Namespace (/uns) to reserve your unique name. Make sure you sign in with the same phone number you’ll use with GlobaliD so that we can link your name to your GlobaliD identity.
You should also keep an eye out for notifications from the current GlobaliD app that will include prompts and instructions which will help you throughout the re-onboarding process.
In all, we’ve got plenty in store for all of you in 2023.
Q&A
- Will I be able to keep any part of my current digital identity?
No, you will lose access to all of the data that was associated with your old name including chat history, groups you joined, and funds in your wallet. However, you can transfer funds out of your wallet now before the transition takes place, or you can use your keys to move your entire wallet to another non-custodial client. If you are locked out of your wallet before you have a chance to migrate it, you can reach out to our support team for help exporting your non-custodial wallet recovery key. - Will I be able to keep my old username?
No. The Universal Namespace (UNS) is a new service which will manage GlobaliD names moving forward. All existing users of GlobaliD will re-onboard with UNS by claiming a name on this separate, independent namespace. Because UNS has been managed independently of GlobaliD, some names have already been reserved and owners of GlobaliD names may not have their names available on UNS. If your old name is available in UNS, then you can claim it and re-onboard using that name. - Will the Universal Namespace reserve my existing name?
No. You need to reserve your new name on your own. You will be able to do this within the updated GlobaliD app upon release, but you do not have to wait. You can go ahead and reserve your new name now by visiting the Universal Namespace website. - What if I have money or assets in my GlobaliD Wallet?
You will need to transfer funds from your current GlobaliD Wallet to a new wallet by May 30, 2023 in order to maintain access to your money. Alternatively, you can export your wallet recovery phrase to host your wallet with another app. A new wallet tied to your username will be made available to you upon release of the updated GlobaliD app. - What is the Universal Namespace?
The Universal Namespace (UNS) is a discoverability platform that enables people to securely connect their online accounts and data with a unique name. With UNS, users can determine how they are found online by building a public profile that connects all of their digital identities to one universal name they own and control — making it easier for them to be discovered across different ecosystems. UNS is managed independently of GlobaliD and provides name services to multiple providers, in addition to GlobaliD. You can obtain a name by signing up with your phone number on the Universal Namespace website. - Can I export any of my data before it is deleted?
Yes. If you are locked out of your wallet before you have a chance to migrate it, you can reach out to our support team for help exporting your non-custodial wallet recovery key. Otherwise, go to your Wallet tab and tap on the key icon in the upper right-hand corner to get your wallet recovery phrase. You can also contact our support team if you would like us to export your chat history. All other data such as your credentials, verifications, and public bio information will be lost. - What is the deadline to reserve my new username and transfer funds from my wallet?
We will release the updated GlobaliD app within the next few weeks and notify you when it is available so that you can re-onboard. However, you do not have to wait for this release in order to claim your new name. You can go ahead and reserve your new name now by visiting the Universal Namespace website. You can also go ahead and transfer the funds from your current GlobaliD Wallet to a new wallet in order to maintain access to your money.
