Disco

Disco is a decentralized identity and data protocol that enables individuals and organizations to own, manage, and selectively share their personal data, social connections, and verifiable credentials across the web. Built on the Ethereum blockchain and the Ceramic data network, it provides a portable, user-centric alternative to siloed social profiles and data locked within centralized platforms. Its core components include a Decentralized Identifier (DID) for a self-sovereign identity and a Data Backpack for storing verifiable credentials and social data in a user-controlled data store.

The protocol operates by separating the issuance, storage, and presentation of identity data. Entities like universities or employers can issue signed Verifiable Credentials (VCs) to a user's DID. The user stores these credentials in their encrypted Data Backpack on the Ceramic network. When needed, the user can generate a zero-knowledge proof or present a specific credential to a third-party application—such as a decentralized social app or a DeFi platform—without revealing their entire identity or surrendering control of the underlying data.

Key use cases for Disco include onchain reputation, where a user's verified credentials (like proof of humanity or professional accreditation) can grant access to token-gated communities or financial services; portable social graphs, allowing users to bring their follower networks and content between social media platforms; and selective data sharing, where users can prove specific attributes (e.g., being over 18) without disclosing their full date of birth. This shifts the power dynamic from platforms to users.

Technically, Disco leverages the W3C DID standard and integrates with Sign-In with Ethereum (SIWE) for authentication. Developers interact with the protocol via its Software Development Kit (SDK) to build applications that request and verify credentials. Unlike monolithic identity systems, Disco's modular architecture ensures that identity data is interoperable, composable, and not dependent on any single company's servers, aligning with the broader Web3 vision of user data ownership.

The Disco protocol, formally known as Decentralized Social Connect, was created to address the need for user-controlled, portable social graphs and credentials in the Web3 ecosystem. It emerged from the recognition that social identity and reputation are foundational to many applications but were historically siloed within individual platforms or controlled by centralized entities. By providing a standard for creating and sharing Verifiable Credentials (VCs) linked to a user's Decentralized Identifier (DID), Disco enables a new paradigm where social data is owned by the individual and can be used interoperably across different dApps and services.

The protocol's development is closely tied to the broader Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) movement and builds upon established W3C standards for DIDs and VCs. Its creation was driven by the practical requirements of decentralized applications needing to establish trust and context between users without relying on traditional web2 social logins. The name 'Disco' itself evokes the interconnected, dynamic nature of a social network—a decentralized dance floor of identity—while its technical architecture ensures privacy and user consent are central, allowing individuals to selectively disclose information.

In practice, Disco functions as a data backpack for the decentralized web. Users can store credentials—such as proof of group membership, attestations of skills, or event attendance—in their Disco profile. Applications can then request access to these credentials to personalize experiences or gate access, all without the user surrendering control of their underlying data. This origin story positions Disco not as a standalone app, but as critical infrastructure for rebuilding social layers on the internet with user sovereignty at its core, enabling everything from decentralized social media to credential-based governance systems.

At its core, Disco functions as a self-sovereign identity (SSI) protocol, allowing individuals and organizations to create a Decentralized Identifier (DID) anchored on a public blockchain like Ethereum. This DID serves as a persistent, cryptographically verifiable identifier that the user fully controls. The user's associated Verifiable Credentials (VCs)—such as attestations, memberships, or certifications—are stored off-chain in a personal data backpack, a private data store that the user manages. This separation of the public identifier from private data is a fundamental principle of the architecture.

The protocol's operation relies on verifiable data registries and zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). When a user needs to prove a claim (e.g., "I am over 18") to a third party (verifier), they do not send the raw credential. Instead, they generate a zero-knowledge proof derived from their credential, which cryptographically proves the claim is true without revealing the underlying data or the credential issuer's identity. This process preserves privacy and minimizes on-chain transactions, as the proof verification is a lightweight computation.

For developers, integrating Disco involves interacting with its software development kits (SDKs) and application programming interfaces (APIs) to issue, request, and verify credentials. An issuer (like a university or DAO) can create a signed Verifiable Credential for a user's DID. A verifier (like a gated website or DeFi protocol) can then request a specific proof and use Disco's libraries to verify its validity on-chain or off-chain. This creates a trust framework where reputation and identity are portable, composable, and user-owned across the decentralized web.