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Delete an IOTA Identity

There are two approaches to delete an IOTA Identity, with different implications:

Deactivate​

As detailed in the IOTA DID Method Specification, a controller of an IOTA Identity may deactivate it by executing an update that either:

  • deletes the contents of the DID Document entirely, leaving the state metadata empty, OR
  • sets the deactivated field in the DID Document metadata to true.

In both cases, the DID Document will be marked as deactivated when resolved.

Reversible

The identity can be reactivated at any time, by publishing an update restoring the DID Document's contents, or unsetting the deactivated field in the metadata respectively, depending on how it was initially deactivated.

Example​

The following example demonstrates deactivating and reactivating an IOTA DID Document.

examples/0_basic/3_deactivate_did.rs
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Delete​

Alternatively, you can delete an IOTA DID permanently.

Irreversible

Deleting an IOTA DID is permanent and irreversible.

This may be achieved by a DID controller by executing a DID Update Proposal which sets the DID Document to the value a None value.

Deleting a DID Document doesn't delete the Identity that encapsulates the document.

warning

Note that historical versions may still be stored off-ledger, or on a permanode, so sensitive or Personal Identifiable Information (PII) should NEVER be stored in a DID Document.

Even with a previous version available, a destroyed DID can never be restored.