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Link contracts)
A link contract is a new approach to data control in a distributed data sharing network. Link contracts are fundamental to Dataweb technology and a key feature of the XDI (XRI Data Interchange) specifications under development at OASIS (organization).
In XDI, a link contract is a machine-readable XDI document that governs the sharing of other XDI data. Unlike a conventional Web link, which is essentially a one-way "string" that "pulls" a linked document into a browser, a link contract forms a two-way "pipe" through which data can actively flow in either direction ("push" or "pull"). This flow is controlled by the terms of the contract, which can be as flexible and extensible as real-world contracts. In a distributed data sharing network, link contracts can govern:
- Identification: Who are the parties to the contract and what data does it cover?
- Authority: Who controls the data being shared via the contract?
- Authentication: How will each party prove its identity to the other?
- Authorization: Who has what access rights and privileges to the data?
- Privacy and usage control: What uses can be made of the data and by whom?
- Synchronization: How and when will the subscriber receive updates to the data?
- Termination: What happens when the data sharing relationship is ended?
- Recourse: How will any disputes over the contract be resolved?
Link contracts can provide a globally interoperable solution to the complex authority, privacy, synchronization, and other data control issues that exist at a higher level than the packet layer of TCP/IP or the content transport layer of HTTP. This is why they can be a key enabler of the Social Web, of the Universalization of the Virtual Identity Virtual Rights, of a new Legal Entity: the Virtual Identity, and of a new Fundamental Right: Not to have or have a Virtual Identity.
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