I like the domain name identity model used by AT (so much so I built handles.net[1] for managing domain name based handles) but during my time reading opinions on Bluesky it has become apparent there's a lot more confusion about and distrust towards domain names amongst non-technical people than I previously thought.
I thought that people generally understood that domain names are owned and that their provenance can be independently verified (which is why they're valuable for identity) but there's a fairly large and vocal contingent of Bluesky users that are frustrated by domain names, so much so there are multiple efforts to establish a private verification system on Bluesky like verified.quest[2].
A lot of people do not want to look at and understand domain names, instead they want to see a name and a check mark. They want a central authority to tell them who is trustworthy and who is not. Domain names are a great solution for technology-adjacent people and I hope that they become more widely accepted, but I'm not too optimistic.
I am optimistic and hopeful that AT has a bright future ahead of it. I think AT has a lot going for it... but I do not think that identity will be a part of that. I suspect many apps built on AT will not bother with handles and will just use local display names.
I thought that people generally understood that domain names are owned and that their provenance can be independently verified (which is why they're valuable for identity) but there's a fairly large and vocal contingent of Bluesky users that are frustrated by domain names, so much so there are multiple efforts to establish a private verification system on Bluesky like verified.quest[2].
A lot of people do not want to look at and understand domain names, instead they want to see a name and a check mark. They want a central authority to tell them who is trustworthy and who is not. Domain names are a great solution for technology-adjacent people and I hope that they become more widely accepted, but I'm not too optimistic.
I am optimistic and hopeful that AT has a bright future ahead of it. I think AT has a lot going for it... but I do not think that identity will be a part of that. I suspect many apps built on AT will not bother with handles and will just use local display names.
[1] https://handles.net [2] https://verified.quest