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Identity

You have one identity on DFOS, and it's the same you everywhere you go. Whether you're in one space or twenty, it's all the same account underneath.

Your handle can change, but the identity under it stays put. Everything you make stays attributed to you — including after you leave the space you made it in.

Your profile​

Your identity is public by default. Your handle, name, avatar, and bio make a profile anyone on DFOS can find — it's how people place you when you turn up somewhere new. If you'd rather stay unlisted, one setting makes your profile private. See Who can see what for the full picture.

Anchored to an open protocol​

Underneath, your identity is anchored to an open protocol — a permanent, cryptographically verifiable identifier that doesn't depend on our servers to vouch for it. See The protocol.

The keys that sign for you​

What signs for that identity is a key, and there are three kinds. DFOS holds a platform key and signs on your behalf, which is what lets you sign in with a code sent to your email. You can add signing keys you hold yourself, on your own machines, whose private halves DFOS never sees. And you can add an exit key, which DFOS cannot use. An exit key exists so this identity can continue beyond DFOS, independent of us. See Sessions & keys.

For the details — your profile, settings, and what you can change — see Accounts.