RFC 0780 -- Use Data URLs for Images and More in Credential Attributes

features/0780-data-urls-images/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,185 @@
+# RFC 0780: Use Data URLs for Images and More in Credential Attributes
+
+- Authors: [Stephen Curran](swcurran@cloudcompass.ca), [Clecio Varjao](clecio.varjao@gov.bc.ca)
+- Status: [PROPOSED](/README.md#proposed)
+- Since: 2023-03-31
+- Status Note: New RFC being proposed.
+- Supersedes: None
+- Start Date: 2023-03-31
+- Tags: [feature](/tags.md#feature)
+
+## Summary
+
+Some credentials include attributes that are not simple strings or numbers, such
+as images or JSON data structures. When complex data is put in an attribute
+the issuer **SHOULD** issue the attribute as a Data URL, as defined in [IETF RFC 2397], and whose use
+is described in this [Mozilla Developer Documentation] article.
+
+[IETF RFC 2397]: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc2397/
+[Mozilla Developer Documentation]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Basics_of_HTTP/Data_URLs
+
+On receipt of all credentials and presentations, holders and verifiers
+**SHOULD** check all string attributes to determine if they are Data URLs. If
+so, they **SHOULD** securely process the data according to the metadata
+information in the Data URL, including:
+
+- the [MIME type] of the data (such as `image/png` or `application/json`)
+- whether the data is [base64 encoded].
+
+[base64 encoded]: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc4648/
+[MIME type]: https://www.ucolick.org/~sla/fits/mime/inetstds.html
+
+This allows, for example, an Aries Mobile Wallet to detect that a data element
+is an image and how it is encoded, and display it for the user as an image,
+not as a long (long) string of gibberish.
+
+## Motivation
+
+Holders and verifiers want to enable a delightful user experience when an issuer
+issues attributes that contain other than strings or numbers, such as an
+image or a JSON data structure. In such cases, the holder and
+verifiers need a way to know the format of the data so it can be processed
+appropriately and displayed usefully. While the Aries community encourages the
+use of the [Overlays Capture Architecture specification] as outlined
+in [RFC 0755 OCA for Aries] for such information, there will be times where an
+OCA Bundle is not available for a given credential. In the absence of an OCA Bundle, the holders and verifiers of
+such attributes need data type information for processing and displaying the attributes.
+
+[Overlays Capture Architecture specification]: https://oca.colossi.network/specification/
+[RFC 0755 OCA for Aries]: https://github.com/swcurran/aries-rfcs/blob/oca4aries/features/0755-oca-for-aries/README.md
+
+## Tutorial
+
+An issuer wants to issue a verifiable credential that contains an image, such as
+a photo of the holder to which the credential is issued. Issuing such an
+attribute is typically done by converting the image to a base64 string. This is
+handled by the various verifiable credential formats supported by Aries issuers.
+The challenge is to convey to the holder and verifiers that the attribute is not
+"just another string" that can be displayed on screen to the user. By making the
+attribute a Data URL, the holder and verifiers can detect the type and encoding
+of the attribute, process it, and display it correctly.
+
+For example, this image (from the IETF 2793 specification):
+
+![](photo.png)
+
+can be issued as the attribute `photo` in a verifiable credential with its value a Data URL as follows:
+
+```json
+{
+"photo": "data:image/png;base64,R0lGODdhMAAwAPAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAMAAwAAAC8IyPqcvt3wCcDkiLc7C0qwyGHhSWpjQu5yqmCYsapyuvUUlvONmOZtfzgFzByTB10QgxOR0TqBQejhRNzOfkVJ+5YiUqrXF5Y5lKh/DeuNcP5yLWGsEbtLiOSpa/TPg7JpJHxyendzWTBfX0cxOnKPjgBzi4diinWGdkF8kjdfnycQZXZeYGejmJlZeGl9i2icVqaNVailT6F5iJ90m6mvuTS4OK05M0vDk0Q4XUtwvKOzrcd3iq9uisF81M1OIcR7lEewwcLp7tuNNkM3uNna3F2JQFo97Vriy/Xl4/f1cf5VWzXyym7PHhhx4dbgYKAAA7"
+}
+```
+
+The syntax of a Data URL is described in [IETF RFC 2397]. The \<tl;dr> version is:
+
+- `data:` -- hardcoded.
+- `<MIME type>` -- optional, the [MIME type] of the data.
+- `;base64` -- optional, if present, the data is [base64 encoded].
+- `,` -- hardcoded separator.
+- `<data>` -- the attribute data in the specified encoding.
+
+A holder or verifier receiving a credential or presentation **MUST** check
+each attribute is a string, and if so, if it is a Data URL (likely by using a
+regular expression). If it is a Data URL it should be securely processed
+accordingly.
+
+Aries Data URL verifiable credential attributes **MUST** include the `<MIME type>`.
+
+### Image Size
+
+A separate issue from the use of Data URLs is how large an image (or other data
+type) can be put into an attribute and issued as a verifiable credential. That
+is an issue that is dependent on the verifiable credential implementation and
+other factors. For AnonCreds credentials, the attribute will be treated as a
+string, a hash will be calculated over the string, and the resulting number will
+be signed--just as for any string. The size of the image does not matter.
+However, there may be other components in your deployment that might impact how
+big an attribute in a credential can be. Many in the community have successfully
+experimented with the use of images in credentials, so consulting others on the
+question might be helpful.
+
+For the purpose of this RFC, the amount of data in the attribute is not
+relevant.
+
+### Security
+
+As noted in this [Mozilla Developer Documentation] and this [Mozilla Security
+Blog Post about Data URLs], Data URLs are blocked from being used in the Address
+Bar of all major browsers. That is because Data URLs may contain HTML that can
+contain anything, including HTML forms that collect data from users. Since Aries
+holder and verifier agents are not general purpose content presentation engines
+(as are browsers) the use of Data URLs are less of a security risk. Regardless,
+holders and verifiers **MUST** limit their processing of attributes containing
+Data URLs to displaying the data, and not executing the data. Further, Aries
+holders and verifiers **MUST** stay up on dependency vulnerabilities, such as
+images constructed to exploit vulnerabilities in libraries that display images.
+
+[Mozilla Security Blog Post about Data URLs]: https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2017/11/27/blocking-top-level-navigations-data-urls-firefox-59/
+
+## Reference
+
+References for implementing this RFC are:
+
+- [IETF RFC 2397]
+- [Mozilla Developer Documentation]
+- [Stack Overflow Article on a Data URL Regex](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5714281/regex-to-parse-image-data-uri)
+- [A GitHub Gist of JavaScript to detect a data URL](https://gist.github.com/bgrins/6194623)
+
+## Drawbacks
+
+The Aries community is moving to the use of the [Overlay Capture Architecture
+Specification] to provide a more generalized way to accomplish the same thing
+(understanding the meaning, format and encoding of attributes), so this RFC is
+duplicating a part of that capability. That said, it is easier and faster for
+issuers to start using, and for holders and verifiers to detect and use.
+
+Issuers may choose to issue Data URLs with MIME types not commonly known to
+Aries holder and verifier components. In such cases, the holder or verifier
+**MUST NOT** display the data.
+
+Even if the MIME type of the data is known to the holders and verifiers, it may
+not be obvious how to present the data on screen in a useful way. For example,
+an attribute holding a JSON data structure with an array of values may not
+easily be displayed.
+
+## Rationale and alternatives
+
+We considered using the same approach as is used in [RFC 0441 Present Proof Best
+Practices](../../concepts/0441-present-proof-best-practices/README.md#dates-and-predicates)
+of a special suffix (`_img`) for the attribute name in a credential to indicate that
+the attribute held an image. However, that provides far less information than this
+approach (e.g., what type of image?), and its use is limited to images. This RFC
+defines a far more complete, standard, and useful approach.
+
+As noted in the drawbacks section, this same functionality can (and should) be
+achieved with the broad deployment of [Overlay Capture Architecture
+Specification] and [RFC 0755 OCA for Aries]. However, the full deployment of
+[RFC 0755 OCA for Aries] will take some time, and in the meantime, this is a
+"quick and easy" alternate solution that is useful alongside OCA for Aries.
+
+## Prior art
+
+In the use cases of which we are aware of issuers putting images and JSON
+structures into attributes, there was no indicator of the attribute content, and
+the holders and verifiers were assumed to either "know" about the data content
+based on the type of credential, or they just displayed the data as a string.
+
+## Unresolved questions
+
+Should this RFC define a list (or the location of a list) of MIME types that
+Aries issuers can use in credential attributes?
+
+For supported MIME types that do not have obvious display methods (such as
+JSON), should there be a convention for how to display the data?
+
+## Implementations
+
+The following lists the implementations (if any) of this RFC. Please do a pull request to add your implementation. If the implementation is open source, include a link to the repo or to the implementation within the repo. Please be consistent in the "Name" field so that a mechanical processing of the RFCs can generate a list of all RFCs supported by an Aries implementation.
+
+*Implementation Notes* [may need to include a link to test results](/README.md#accepted).
+
+Name / Link | Implementation Notes
+--- | ---
+ | 
+