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I-name
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===I-numbers=== [[I-number]]s are [[Machine-readable data|machine readable]] identifiers (similar to [[IP address]]es) that are assigned to a resource (for instance, a person, organization, application or file) and never reassigned. This means an i-number can always be used to address a network representation of the resource as long it remains available anywhere on the network. I-numbers, like IP addresses, are designed to be efficient for [[network router]]s to process and resolve. XRI syntax also allows i-names and i-numbers to be combined within the same XRI. So effectively the XRI layer supports both i-name and i-number [[synonym]]s for resources β one that reflects real-world semantics and can change over time, and one that reflects the persistent identity of a resource no matter how often its attributes (including its i-names) may change. And the same [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol|HTTP]]-based XRI resolution protocol can be used to resolve either an i-name or an i-number to an [[XRDS]] document describing the target resource. XRIs are backward-compatible with the DNS and IP addressing systems, so it is possible for domain names and IP addresses to be used as i-names (or, in rare cases, as i-numbers). Like DNS names, XRIs can also be "delegated", i.e., nested multiple levels deep, just like the directory names on a local computer file system. For example, a company can register a top-level (global) i-name for itself and then assign second- or lower-level (community) i-names to its divisions, employees, etc. Examples: =Mary.Jones*Henry @Example.Corp*Ecuador*Quito i-names are called ''unified digital addresses'' because they can be resolved using the [[XRI|XRI resolution protocol]] into [[XRDS]] documents that expose various services for accessing the digital identity they represent. These services, such as [[OpenID]], [[OAuth]], or [[XDI]] can expose any other type of data under the control of this identity. Privacy is protected because the identity owner controls access. For example, the registrant of ''=Mary.Jones'' would not receive [[spam (e-mail)|spam]] from this i-name because it is not an email address. To resolve ''=Mary.Jones'' into an email address would first require Mary's permission, and such requests can be verified by i-brokers to make sure they are legitimate. In addition to ''=names'' for people and ''@names'' for organizations, the third major type of i-names is ''+names'' for generic concepts. This is the XRI equivalent of a generic noun in the English language, for example, ''+flowers'', ''+phone.number'', or ''+table.of.contents''. Generic ''+names'' are very useful in distributed data sharing because they can be used as XRI cross-references to specify the precise type of data to be shared. For example, ''=Mary.Jones/(+phone.number)/(+daytime)'' and ''@Acme/(+phone.number)/(+daytime)'' can be used to request Mary's and Acme's daytime phone numbers, respectively.
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