DIDs Are Cool. We Didn't Need Them

A tiny startup just poked the identity hornet’s nest. In a Moon says it doesn’t need Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs)—tech meant to be portable, often blockchain‑backed IDs—because the web already has identity baked in: think “twitter:jack” or “github:torvalds.” Instead of a new standard, they use a simple “platform:name” string to credit creators for their work, building an attribution layer of “kudos” on top of the existing web. They even winked at the classic XKCD “standards” comic, and the internet heard the subtext: fewer new standards, more shipping now.

Cue the fireworks. One commenter sneered, “DIDs are the new NFTs,” blasting them as crypto cosplay. A DID defender shot back that the whole point is portability—you can switch platforms without losing your identity. Another dreamer pitched linking profiles across sites like a breadcrumb trail, while a doomsayer warned that turning @handles into “web identity” makes the internet a mall, where platforms own your name. The vibe: pragmatists cheering “use what people already get” versus decentralizers warning that short-term convenience means long-term lock‑in. Memes flew, XKCD screenshots everywhere, and plenty of popcorn energy. Why it matters: whoever wins the identity fight decides how we credit (and eventually pay) creators across the web—today’s handles vs tomorrow’s passports.