Decentralized Certificates

Overview

A decentralized court would provide the key infrastructure required to build a wide range of valuable products and services. The initial focus would be on creating a system for community issued certificates where anonymous users are incentivized to correctly issue certificates based on submitted evidence of authenticity. Cardano, with it's integrated Atala PRISM DID framework, is uniquely suited to support this specific concept.

The underlying protocol will take inspiration from and function similarly to the Ethereum based Kleros (https://kleros.io/static/whitepaper_en-8bd3a0480b45c39899787e17049ded26.pdf) and Aragon Court (https://github.com/aragon/whitepaper). These two projects are testaments to the integrity of the game-theoretic model.

Sample use cases for community issued certificates

1. While creating Tip Genius, an automated video game coaching tool built on the knowledge of many reputable coaches (https://www.overwolf.com/app/Ben_Mesnik-Tip_Genius), I found it difficult to find the right coaches. Popular online marketplaces for connecting with coaches were plentiful with listings, but not all listings were wholly accurate in representing the coach's talent. Certificates of coaching prowess and player skill could be helpful in this regard, and these could be sourced reputably and efficiently by the community of gamers.

1. Throughout my participation in the first cohort of Plutus Pioneers I encountered a number of individuals who, although fully partaking in the lectures/coursework and engaging in the discord, weren't officially enrolled in the cohort and thus won't receive the certification they deserve. A community issued 'Honorary First Cohort Plutus Pioneer' certification for those who can prove to a court they were actively involved in the program could fairly and accurately reward these pioneers.

1. As an avid traveler and former intern at TripAdvisor I've witnessed firsthand that the centralized approach to awarding a "Certificates of Excellence" for top travel related businesses can be flawed. Certificates based on some secretive algorithm that sources it's data only from the reviews left on the issuers website leaves room for skepticism and inaccuracy. A "Certificate of Excellence" that's based on all available information, is publicly verifiable, and refutable might hold more merit.

Roadmap

The goal is to build out the court protocol and integrate it with Atala PRISM's DID framework, this is the general roadmap for how it'll be done

In the next 0-3 Months

• Hire an experienced Haskell developer (to join me as a Plutus developer)
• Participate in the Atala PRISM pioneer program
• Work on the base functionality of the court - jury selection, voting, appeals

In the next 3-6 Months

• Continue working on the the base functionality of the court - jury selection, voting, appeals
• Work on the Atala PRISM DID integration flow - creation of DID for applicant, issuance of certificate on contract output
• Implement a web interface for interacting with the court

In the next 6-12 Months

• Code is audited and thoroughly tested
• Public launch
• Release a proof of concept certificate that authenticates Valorant (the video game) coaches using the court, certified Tip Genius coaches can advertise their credentials in the app next to their socials.

Risks/Open Questions

• Will people actively build on top of the protocol?
• Is there a flaw in the incentives model?
• How seamlessly will the DID creation and certificate issuance integrate?
• How many jurors will be needed for people to trust the verdicts for different certificates? Will it be cost-effective in enough cases?

How would this drive Atala PRISM DID mass-scale adoption?

This proposal would create the infrastructure needed to issue reputable certifications without a trusted organization. This new paradigm could be used by anyone to improve current and create previously unfeasible certifications, leading to more Atala PRISM based DID certifications being issued and used.

Funding breakdown

Funding is being requested to ensure quality and accelerate the project by hiring an experienced Haskell developer to join me

1 experienced Haskell developer for 3 months = $13k / month * 3 months = $39k