KILT is a blockchain identity protocol for generating self-sovereign, decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials.
KILT’s mission is to:
- Return control over personal data to its owner
- Restore trust to the internet
- Provide a mechanism to generate industry-standard DIDs (decentralized identifiers)
- Enable trusted providers to create identity solutions by issuing and verifying reusable digital credentials.
KILT Protocol is the brainchild of Ingo Rübe. Recognizing the potential of blockchain to restore data control to the individual, Ingo set out to create decentralized identity solutions that could be implemented by corporates and entrepreneurs worldwide.
In January 2018 Ingo founded BOTLabs GmbH with publishing house Hubert Burda Media in Berlin. Swiss publisher Ringier AG joined later as a shareholder. BOTLabs is the original developer of KILT Protocol, and a member of the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA), Blockchain for Europe and the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF).
In 2018 KILT was built using Substrate, a modular blockchain system powered by Parity Technologies. Substrate enables seamless integration with Polkadot, a carbon-friendly blockchain ecosystem that overcomes the problems of security, scalability and interoperability that have hampered blockchain adoption so far. Polkadot and its canary network Kusama combine low, fixed, definable network costs with the tamper-proof “trustless” nature of blockchain.
KILT launched on Kusama in September 2021. In November 2021 KILT became a fully decentralized blockchain owned and governed by the community of KILT Coin holders. After nearly a year of testing and launching applications “Built on KILT”, the blockchain moved from Kusama to Polkadot in October 2022 to leverage the stability and bank-level security that Polkadot provides.
KILT Protocol is open source to allow anyone – enterprise, government, startups – to build trusted digital identity solutions.
