Initial Implementation of Architecture

The Identity Commons and XDI.ORG have developed a plan to implement a relatively straight-forward application of the architecture.  This plan is still under development by the boards of the respective organizations, but we currently expect that it will take something close to the following shape:

First, both will adopt a parallel set of fundamental provisions (see detail) into their governing instruments.  This can be done even though the two have differing legal structures. Identity Commons was formed as a non-stock membership corporation in order to meet the fiduciary and ownership requirements of an organization representing the commons to which all members of the commons ultimately connect. XDI.ORG was formed as a non-profit public trust corporation to serve as the community governance body for a set of open standards and public services. But both types of corporate entities (and others) can fully participate in this type of distributed commons.

Second, both boards will approve resolutions recognizing each other's application of the fundamental provisions and enter into an express contract that the provisions will be observed.  Both will put this general capacity into their bylaws to simplify recognizing additional related corporations, once they form.

Third, the Identity Commons is establishing four classes of members that share interests and have a reason to self-determine, self-organize and self-govern:

1) Identity brokers (i-brokers).

2) Software developers or contributors,

Each of the first two classes of members will have a membership agreement that embodies a mutual contract among that group of members, and a general agreement with all Commons members.

3) Data owners

Initially, data owners will be an indirect member, whose trustee within the system will be the identity broker of their choice. The trustee responsibilities will be part of the identity broker membership agreement.

4) Supporting members

This category represents numerous people and organizations who believe in what the Identity Commons is trying to accomplish, and are finding other ways to advance the work.

Fourth, XDI.ORG will exercise its right to be responsible for a subgroup of members which naturally gravitate to it. Through the distributive agreement, these will automatically become members of the Identity Commons. (This does not make XDI.ORG a membership organization, however.) XDI.ORG expects that most of these members will be i-brokers who want to offer global i-name and i-number registration services. Under the common membership agreement, these i-brokers have the right to establish their own policies, procedures, etc., as long as they don't contradict the XDI.ORG policies or those that XDI.ORG inherits through Identity Commons.

Fifth, XDI.ORG will establish a "coordinating council" to help its members work together more effectively, and to advise the XDI.ORG board on policies that might be beneficial to those members.  The council must be organized consistent with the organizational principles embedded in the common member agreement.

Sixth, we expect similar subgroups will self-organize within the Identity Commons around other common interests. For example, one set of i-brokers may want to develop an extra-high data security standard. Another may want to create specialized XDI data sharing dictionaries. Another may want to develop a set of special link contracts for relatively closed communities that already trust each other.  None of these groups need to ask permission from the Identity Commons to pursue this work as they see fit.  It is a membership right. 

Seventh, the Identity Commons will help to organize a coordinating council in which all such efforts, including those of XDI.ORG and other related corporations that join the commons, can coordinate and meet their membership responsibility to keep the system as a whole coherent and the parts interoperable.  The Identity Commons will, like XDI.ORG, look to this body for advice on setting any necessary global policies.  In addition, once composed, this body will have the right to appoint one member to the Identity Commons Council of Trustees.  This is a natural step towards the Identity Commons being the self-governance body for all members.

Eighth, the Identity Commons will help to organize a similar coordinating council for members developing i-broker software. Such a council would be a natural application of proven open source project governance approaches such as the Apache Foundation or the Eclipse Foundation.

Again, once formed, this coordinating council will also appoint one Identity Commons trustee.

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