MOBI Web3 Vision and Architecture

MOBI and its members are driving interoperability between existing systems and data spaces with a Web3 infrastructure built for secure, seamless B2B and B2C transactions.

Challenges with Centralized Identities and Data

In recent years, emerging technologies like blockchain, AI, and IoT have accelerated digital transformation. Every year, billions of digital transactions take place not only between people and organizations, but also between devices, vehicles, packages, and infrastructure. According to a report by IoT Analytics, there were 16.6 billion connected IoT devices by the end of 2023. This is projected to grow 13% to 18.8 billion by the end of 2024. Statista forecasts that this figure will nearly double to 32.1 billion by 2030. As digitalization transforms every aspect of our modern lives, it’s crucial to adopt secure, interoperable, and user-friendly models for managing digital identities and data. Unfortunately, current systems fall short of meeting the evolving demands of consumers, businesses, and regulators, including:

Existing systems give users limited control, leaving them vulnerable to losing access or having accounts suspended.

Centralized data storage creates single points of failure, increasing the risk of breaches.

Many systems and data spaces are isolated, making communication between them difficult. This results in inefficiencies and data that is hard to transfer or verify across systems (lack interoperability).

Interoperability issues between systems hamper sustainability efforts. Without standardized models, validating claims is time-consuming, complex, and costly.

Existing systems give users limited control, leaving them vulnerable to losing access or having accounts suspended.

Centralized data storage creates single points of failure, increasing the risk of breaches.

Many systems are isolated, making communication between platforms difficult. This results in inefficiencies and data that is hard to transfer or verify across platforms.

Interoperability issues between platforms hamper sustainability efforts. Without standardized models, validating claims is time-consuming and complex.

Driving Global Data Spaces Interoperability

These challenges call for a bold new approach — one that puts users in control of their digital identities and data. In other words, we need a scalable, secure framework to support Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and Self-Sovereign Data (SSD) implementations.

In an SSI-based model, entities have full control over their own portable, verifiable identities. Meanwhile, SSD refers to the concept where users — individuals or organizations — fully own and manage their data. Unlike traditional systems, where third parties store and control data, SSD allows users to decide how, when, and with whom their data is shared, without having to turn their transaction records over to centralized authorities. This shift offers greater privacy, security, and autonomy. A framework rooted in SSI and SSD would enhance:

Entities control their identity, data, and transactions, deciding who can access them and for what purposes (selective disclosure). This improves privacy, security, and reduces data misuse.

By eliminating centralized data silos (data from all users in one system), this model minimizes risks from data breaches with decentralized data storage architecture. Information is securely encrypted and controlled by the owner.

The framework works across systems and data spaces, making digital interactions smoother and more efficient, without requiring expensive integrations.

Users gain more transparency into and control over how their data is used, fostering greater trust between individuals and service providers.

MOBI’s Web3 Infrastructure

MOBI’s Web3 infrastructure, comprising Citopia and the Integrated Trust Network (ITN), offers a secure, user-controlled framework for interoperability between existing systems and data spaces. Think of it as a private internet, wherein entities can engage in secure, autonomous, encrypted transactions. This system leverages World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) open-standards to ensure users retain control over their data, facilitating private, secure, and trusted interactions across systems and clouds. Both Citopia and the ITN are:

  • Incorporated outside of MOBI, for-profit organizations with their own governance structures.

  • Member-built and -operated (federated) to ensure maximum network resilience/sustainability. Networks are governed by node operators (1 operator = 1 vote). This federated model ensures fairness by preventing monopolization, enhancing resilience, reducing single points of failure, and fostering inclusivity, allowing both large and small enterprises to participate on equal footing. By leveraging shared R&D and operational infrastructure, node operators on Citopia and the ITN benefit from lower costs and greater network efficiency as the ecosystem grows.

  • System, data spaces, and cloud-agnostic, meaning stakeholders can seamlessly communicate while retaining their existing protocols. This removes the need for costly one-off integrations and eliminates prohibitive onboarding/maintenance costs, ensuring a low barrier to entry for participation.

Integrated Trust Network (ITN)

Federated network of nodes providing trusted identity services by anchoring tamper-evident verifiable signatures (DIDs). The ITN is the first enterprise network to support multiple blockchains simultaneously for assured network resilience, enabling privacy-preserving interactions without relying on a centralized authority. Learn more

Citopia

Citopia is a federated network of nodes that collaboratively create a decentralized marketplace, enabling transactions using selective disclosures while allowing users and providers to maintain full control over their digital identities, data, and transactions. Users can securely exchange and verify VCs — digital attestations (signed with DIDs) for trusted verifiable transactions. Learn more

Ecosystem at a Glance: MOBI, ITN, and Citopia

  • MOBI is a nonprofit consortium which serves as a neutral convener for organizations to collaborate on standards and build the Web3 infrastructure (Citopia and ITN) for interoperability between existing systems and data spaces.
  • The ITN is a federated (member-built and -operated) DIDs registry providing trusted identity services.
  • Citopia Federated Network is a federated (member-built and -operated) network of nodes providing Web3 services to support Citopia Decentralized Marketplace (DM).
  • Citopia DM is a decentralized marketplace of Web3 services and applications built by network node operations (Citopia Members). Entities can engage in DM applications using Self-Sovereign Digital Twins™ (SSDTs™) for secure, interoperable transactions and data exchange.
  • SSDTs™ are the key enablers of interoperability — these portable, cryptographically secure user agents allow entities to maintain complete control over their data, identity, and transactions (which are stored in the SSDT™, not in the applications themselves).

Interoperability between Existing Systems and Data Spaces

The diagrams below shows how MOBI’s Web3 Infrastructure enables interoperability across disparate systems and data spaces through SSDTs™.

Web2<>Web3 Interoperability through using SSDTs (User Agents)

Data Spaces Interoperability through using SSDTs (User Agents)

Self-Sovereign Digital Twins (SSDTs™)

In MOBI’s Web3 infrastructure, DIDs and VCs are managed through Self-Sovereign Digital Twins™ (SSDTs™). An SSDT™ is a decentralized, digital representation of an entity, enabling them to autonomously manage their identity, data, and transactions. Each SSDT™ includes two main components:

  • A Wallet, which stores DIDs and cryptographic keys. DIDs are encrypted signatures for Web3 transactions.
  • An Encrypted Data Vault, which securely holds VCs and Verifiable Presentations (VPs) for transactions. VCs and VPs are Web3 transactions.

With SSDTs™, users can authenticate identities and engage in private, secure transactions — all while keeping full control over their data. This eliminates the need for centralized identity management, ensuring only the intended recipient has access to sensitive information — laying the foundations for interoperability between data spaces and existing systems.

  • Enables Interoperability for Data Spaces, Existing Systems, Web2<>Web3

  • Uses ITN Trusted Identity Services

  • Follows Mutual Identity Recognition Protocol

  • APIs to Communicate with other SSDTs™

  • Implements Zero-Knowledge Proofs for specific Applications/Use Cases

  • Enable Lifecycle Components Traceability

  • Promote User Control for Preferences Traceability

  • Allows for Identity/Data/Digital Assets Traceability

  • Facilitate Payment & Settlement Traceability

Self-Sovereign Digital Twin diagram
Get involved!

Learn more and get involved

Learn more and get involved

MOBI welcomes participation from organizations in every industry across the globe. Join us in shaping the future of data spaces interoperability.