Using the Virtuoso Mail Verification Service

The Virtuoso Mail Verification Service verifies Email Addresses (also known as mailto:-scheme URIs) against WebIDs? (which may use various URI schemes).

Why is it Important?

Email Addresses are one of the most universally used, and intuitively understood, personal identifiers in use across both the World Wide Web and the Internet.

Making these Addresses verifiable fills a critical gap in the puzzle of Internet- and Web-scale verifiable identity.

How Do I Use It?

Perform the following steps:

  1. Obtain an X.509 certificate with a WebID watermark .
  2. Verify your WebID-watermarked X.509 certificate .
  3. Install the ods_framework_dav.vad package which includes this functionality.
  4. Go to default endpoint for the service, http://<cname>/mv
  5. Enter your Email Address
  6. Check your inbox for a email message of the form: 

    Please click on the link below to confirm your email.
https://<cname>/mv/mc.vsp?confirm={hash}

Example: 
https://id.myopenlink.net/mv/mc.vsp?confirm=b29e6a2dcd201d1e98321c474f80c7a1

  7. Click on the Link in your mail and then identity yourself using WebID?, if your identity is verified the process is complete
  8. View the descriptor document generated from this verification process via the URL pattern: 

    http://<cname>/mv/data/{hash}

Example: http://id.myopenlink.net/mv/data/494253e4df395054402e8ca04dbdcade26bc558b

Service Endpoint

Virtuoso Mail Verification Service endpoint is available at <http://cname/mv/>> .

REST Interaction Patterns

The service supports mbox parameter, which takes the Email Address to be verified as its value:


URL pattern: http://<cname>/mv/mv.vsp?mbox={Email Address}

Example: http://id.myopenlink.net/mv/mv.vsp?mbox=xx@domain.com

Usage Scenario 1

In this case, we look at the simple Email Address verification via an HTML page associated with the service.

Prerequisites

Make sure the ods_framework_dav.vad package is installed.

Steps
  1. Go to http://id.myopenlink.net/mv/ :



  2. Enter your mail address:



  3. Click "Verify".
  4. The following message should be shown: 

    A confirmation mail was sent, please check your mail box.





  5. Open your mail client associated with your mail box.
  6. A new message should arrive, respectively with:
    • Subject 

      Mail verification service

    • Content 

      Please click on the link below to confirm your email.
https://id.myopenlink.net/mv/mc.vsp?confirm=fab83a65a15de7ccf4965e7fd004f4ba





  7. Click on the link.
  8. You should be redirected to the Virtuoso Mail Verification Service, and be presented with a message that the email address has been confirmed:



  9. View the descriptor document that results of this service by clicking the presented link:



Usage Scenario 2

This example demonstrates integration with the Virtuoso X.509 Certificate Generator whereby the Mail Verification service ensures that only verified Email Addresses are added to the claims in a WebID? watermarked X.509 Certificate:

  1. Go to the Virtuoso X.509 certificate WebID-watermark Generator



  2. In the presented form enter:
  3. Click "Lookup".
  4. Should be presented new "Mail verification URI" to be used, for example: 

    http://id.myopenlink.net/mv/mv.vsp





  5. Click the "Check" button
  6. Should be redirected to the Virtuoso Mail Verification Service with message for successfully sent message for confirmation:



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