Bonafide Foundation

Why a foundation

Bonafide is designed so people and businesses don't have to depend on any one company for their data and connections. We think the same principle should apply to the protocol itself.

Publishing an open specification is an important step, but if one company still has the final say over every change, the "trust me" problem hasn't entirely gone away.

Today, Bonafide Technologies Inc. develops and stewards the specification. That's where we're starting, but it shouldn't be the permanent arrangement. We intend to establish a non-profit Bonafide Foundation to take over stewardship, with broader participation in how the protocol evolves.

What it would do

• Steward the specification as a shared resource for everyone building on Bonafide, rather than something controlled by one company.
• Manage the change process with broader, more formal participation in reviewing proposals and making decisions.
• Publish and maintain domain specifications, so independently developed apps can interoperate rather than fragmenting into separate systems.
• Provide continuity for the protocol beyond any single company, including ours.

Where this stands

The Foundation doesn't exist yet. Establishing it depends on finding sponsors and donors to support its ongoing work.

Until then, Bonafide Technologies remains responsible for the specification and its change process, including final decisions on proposals. Our intention is to make submissions, discussions, decisions, and the reasoning behind them public. We don't yet have the resources for an independent review board.

We think the long-term stewardship of an open protocol needs broader participation and resources than one company can provide. The Foundation is how we intend to make that possible.

Support the Foundation

We're looking for sponsors and donors to help establish the Foundation and support its work. If you're interested, get in touch →.