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Finished up Identity section in the architecture section.

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Kegan Dougal 2014-09-02 20:32:09 +01:00
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docs/specification.rst
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@ -125,11 +125,24 @@ once and then use that ID on subsequent requests.
Identity
--------
- Identity in relation to 3PIDs. Discovery of users based on 3PIDs.
- Identity servers; trusted clique of servers which replicate content.
- They govern the mapping of 3PIDs to user IDs and the creation of said mappings.
- Not strictly required in order to communicate.
Users in Matrix are identified via their user ID. However, existing ID namespaces
can also be used in order to identify Matrix users. A Matrix "Identity" describes
both the user ID and any other existing ID namespaces *linked* to their account.
Matrix users can *link* third-party IDs (3PIDs) such as email addresses, social
network accounts and phone numbers to their
user ID. Linking 3PIDs creates a mapping from a 3PID to a user ID. This mapping
can then be used by other Matrix users in order to discover other users, according
to a strict set of privacy permissions.
In order to ensure that the mapping from 3PID to user ID is genuine, dedicated
trusted servers called "Identity Servers" (IS) are used to perform authentication
of the 3PID. Identity servers are also used to preserve the mapping indefinitely,
by replicating the mappings across multiple ISes.
Usage of an IS is not required in order for a client application to be part of
the Matrix ecosystem. However, by not using an IS, discovery of users is greatly
impacted.
API Standards
-------------