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Independent podcast

A Digital Identity Digest

Short weekly episodes from standards veteran Heather Flanagan that "translate geek to human" on identity standards, wallets, and the web platform.

Host
Heather Flanagan
Publisher
Spherical Cow Consulting · Independent
Pillar
Emerging & Foundational, Access, Authorization & Network
Level
Practitioner
Format
Solo commentary
Cadence
Weekly (Tuesdays), 10 to 15 min
Status
Active, last episode 2026-11-03
Since
2025
Episodes
80
Website ↗Apple Podcasts ↗RSS feed ↗

What it is

A Digital Identity Digest is a weekly solo show from Heather Flanagan of Spherical Cow Consulting, each episode an audio version of one of her essays. Its stated aim is to "translate geek to human" on digital identity on the web. Episodes run about 12 minutes and cover how standards bodies actually work, verifiable credentials and wallets moving from pilots into use, verifier interoperability, and browser-level identity changes.

Who it suits

Anyone who wants to understand identity standards without reading the specs: product managers, policy people, and engineers new to the standards world. Short enough for a commute.

Editor note

The best entry point in this directory for the standards side of identity, from someone who has chaired and edited in those groups for years. Because each episode is a single essay, it is commentary rather than a debate; pair it with Identity at the Center for interviews. Her episode on how the FIDO Alliance's working groups operate is on our passkeys path.

Where to start

  1. Delegation in a Multi-Actor World: It's Not Just OAuth Anymore
    2025-06-27 · 12 min · Architect · OAuth and OpenID Connect

    Where OAuth 2.0 falls short for multi-party delegation and what OAuth Token Exchange (RFC 8693) does and does not provide.

  2. Understanding the FIDO Alliance's Standards and Working Groups
    2026-02-17 · 12 min · Architect · Passkeys and FIDO

    How the FIDO Alliance develops standards through member-driven working groups and why that process looks different from more open standards bodies.

  3. Inside the OpenID DCP Working Group: Issuance, Presentation, and Reality
    2026-01-27 · 13 min · Architect · Verifiable credentials and digital wallets

    Explains the OpenID4VCI and OpenID4VP specifications, the HAIP profile for regulated deployments, conformance testing, and alignment with ISO proximity flows.

Also in our learning paths

  1. Designing Digital Wallets for Reality: Where Selective Disclosure and ZKPs Fit
    2026-03-03 · 16 min · Architect · Verifiable credentials and digital wallets

    Compares selective disclosure credentials with zero-knowledge proofs, weighing operational overhead, correlation risk, and where complexity lands in wallet design at scale.

Last verified 2026-09-30 against the show's feed, recent episode notes, and the publisher's own pages. Status and last-episode date update weekly from the feed.

Last reviewed By SWI Community TeamSuggest a correctionHow we research

Independent, community-driven analysis. No vendor sponsorship. Compiled from public research and community input and verified on a best-effort basis, so details may be incomplete or out of date. Scores are opinions, not advice. Trademarks belong to their owners; mention does not imply affiliation or endorsement. See the full disclaimer, or send corrections to community@startwithidentity.com.