Extending Actor Models in Data Spaces

Through a recent paper written by one of EUH4D’s partners, an interesting discussion was introduced to accelerate the complexity of sharing data among multiple parties and introducing data spaces as a solution, though also pointing out the current limitation of contract data processors not being able to execute data requests on behalf of their contract partners. The paper proposes an on-behalf-of-actor model using verifiable credentials to address this limitation. It explains how the model can be implemented, enabling the realization of previously unattainable real-life use cases and enhancing the capabilities of future data spaces. 

 Read the paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3543873.3587645#d17485201e1

The paper proposal introduces an extension to actor models within data spaces that enables entities to act on behalf of other entities. The authors presented a typical scenario involving natural and legal entities, as well as a secure gateway, where the extension facilitated the delegation of privileges through advanced technologies such as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Verifable Credentials (VCs), and Verifable Presentation (VPs). The authors conclude that these mechanisms and concepts for privilege delegation can be applied to various use cases that have not been addressed yet and can be seamlessly integrated into the existing specifications of Gaia-X and IDS.