Internet-Draft MIMI Identifiers October 2025
Kohbrok & Robert Expires 23 April 2026 [Page]
Workgroup:
More Instant Messaging Interoperability
Internet-Draft:
draft-kohbrok-mimi-identifiers-00
Published:
Intended Status:
Informational
Expires:
Authors:
K. Kohbrok
Phoenix R&D
R. Robert
Phoenix R&D

MIMI Identifiers

Abstract

TODO Abstract

About This Document

This note is to be removed before publishing as an RFC.

The latest revision of this draft can be found at https://kkohbrok.github.io/draft-kohbrok-mimi-identifiers/draft-kohbrok-mimi-identifiers.html. Status information for this document may be found at https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-kohbrok-mimi-identifiers/.

Discussion of this document takes place on the More Instant Messaging Interoperability Working Group mailing list (mailto:mimi@ietf.org), which is archived at https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/mimi/. Subscribe at https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/mimi/.

Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at https://github.com/kkohbrok/draft-kohbrok-mimi-identifiers.

Status of This Memo

This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet-Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

This Internet-Draft will expire on 23 April 2026.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Identifier types

2.1. Identifiers for connection establishment

  • Globally unique

  • User-facing

  • Often chosen by user

  • Multiple identifiers per user possible

  • User can add/delete identifiers dynamically

  • Examples:

    • Phone numbers

    • Signal-style usernames

    • Matrix-style usernames

    • Administrative identifiers

2.2. Administrative identifiers

  • Globally unique

  • Generally not user-facing

  • Generally not chosen-facing

  • Can be provider-generated

  • Server might not be able to link admin to connection establishment identifiers

  • Immutable

  • Examples

    • UUIDs

    • Matrix-style usernames

2.3. Display names (decorative identifiers)

  • Not globally unique

  • Not necessarily visible to provider

  • User-facing

  • User-chosen

3. Proposal for MIMI

3.1. Connection establishment

  • Multiple options for connection establishment identifiers

    • Phone numbers (draft WIP)

    • Usernames (user chosen names, potentially with format restrictions)

  • No requirement for providers to be able to link connection establishment identifiers with administrative identifiers

  • Ephemeral identifiers should be allowed

3.2. Administrative identifiers

  • Should be unique within domain of provider

  • Should be immutable

  • No other requirement w.r.t. format, i.e. both Matrix-style and UUIDs allowed

  • No requirement for user-readability

  • These are used for authentication and are included in MLS credentials

3.3. Display names

  • No strict requirement for hub/provider to have access to display names, may be subject to policy

4. Security Considerations

TODO Security

5. IANA Considerations

This document has no IANA actions.

6. Normative References

[I-D.draft-ietf-mimi-protocol]
Barnes, R., Hodgson, M., Kohbrok, K., Mahy, R., Ralston, T., and R. Robert, "More Instant Messaging Interoperability (MIMI) using HTTPS and MLS", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-mimi-protocol-05, , <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-mimi-protocol-05>.

Acknowledgments

TODO acknowledge.

Authors' Addresses

Konrad Kohbrok
Phoenix R&D
Raphael Robert
Phoenix R&D