diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4faf7e0..73b5f5b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ DiasporaFederation.configure do |config|
   config.server_uri = AppConfig.pod_uri
 
   config.define_callbacks do
-    on :person_webfinger_fetch do |handle|
-      person = Person.find_local_by_diaspora_handle(handle)
+    on :person_webfinger_fetch do |diaspora_id|
+      person = Person.find_local_by_diaspora_id(diaspora_id)
       if person
         DiasporaFederation::Discovery::WebFinger.new(
           # ...
diff --git a/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery.rb b/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery.rb
index 079b6fd..5ecb1d6 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery.rb
@@ -1,24 +1,25 @@
 module DiasporaFederation
   module Discovery
-    # This class contains the logic to fetch all data for the given handle
+    # This class contains the logic to fetch all data for the given diaspora ID
     class Discovery
       include DiasporaFederation::Logging
 
-      # @return [String] the handle of the account
-      attr_reader :handle
+      # @return [String] the diaspora ID of the account
+      attr_reader :diaspora_id
 
-      # @param [String] account the diaspora handle to discover
-      def initialize(account)
-        @handle = clean_handle(account)
+      # @param [String] diaspora_id the diaspora id to discover
+      def initialize(diaspora_id)
+        @diaspora_id = clean_diaspora_id(diaspora_id)
       end
 
       # fetch all metadata for the account
       # @return [Person]
       def fetch
-        logger.info "Fetch data for #{handle}"
+        logger.info "Fetch data for #{diaspora_id}"
 
-        unless handle == clean_handle(webfinger.acct_uri)
-          raise DiscoveryError, "Handle does not match: Wanted #{handle} but got #{clean_handle(webfinger.acct_uri)}"
+        unless diaspora_id == clean_diaspora_id(webfinger.acct_uri)
+          raise DiscoveryError, "Diaspora ID does not match: Wanted #{diaspora_id} but got" \
+                                " #{clean_diaspora_id(webfinger.acct_uri)}"
         end
 
         person
@@ -26,34 +27,34 @@ module DiasporaFederation
 
       private
 
-      def clean_handle(account)
-        account.strip.sub("acct:", "").to_s.downcase
+      def clean_diaspora_id(diaspora_id)
+        diaspora_id.strip.sub("acct:", "").to_s.downcase
       end
 
       def get(url, http_fallback=false)
-        logger.info "Fetching #{url} for #{handle}"
+        logger.info "Fetching #{url} for #{diaspora_id}"
         response = Fetcher.get(url)
         raise "Failed to fetch #{url}: #{response.status}" unless response.success?
         response.body
       rescue => e
         if http_fallback && url.start_with?("https://")
-          logger.warn "Retry with http: #{url} for #{handle}: #{e.class}: #{e.message}"
+          logger.warn "Retry with http: #{url} for #{diaspora_id}: #{e.class}: #{e.message}"
           url.sub!("https://", "http://")
           retry
         else
-          raise DiscoveryError, "Failed to fetch #{url} for #{handle}: #{e.class}: #{e.message}"
+          raise DiscoveryError, "Failed to fetch #{url} for #{diaspora_id}: #{e.class}: #{e.message}"
         end
       end
 
       def host_meta_url
-        domain = handle.split("@")[1]
+        domain = diaspora_id.split("@")[1]
         "https://#{domain}/.well-known/host-meta"
       end
 
       def legacy_webfinger_url_from_host_meta
         # this tries the xrd url with https first, then falls back to http
         host_meta = HostMeta.from_xml get(host_meta_url, true)
-        host_meta.webfinger_template_url.gsub("{uri}", "acct:#{handle}")
+        host_meta.webfinger_template_url.gsub("{uri}", "acct:#{diaspora_id}")
       end
 
       def webfinger
@@ -66,17 +67,17 @@ module DiasporaFederation
 
       def person
         Entities::Person.new(
-          guid:            hcard.guid || webfinger.guid,
-          diaspora_handle: handle,
-          url:             webfinger.seed_url,
-          exported_key:    hcard.public_key || webfinger.public_key,
-          profile:         profile
+          guid:         hcard.guid || webfinger.guid,
+          diaspora_id:  diaspora_id,
+          url:          webfinger.seed_url,
+          exported_key: hcard.public_key || webfinger.public_key,
+          profile:      profile
         )
       end
 
       def profile
         Entities::Profile.new(
-          diaspora_handle:  handle,
+          diaspora_id:      diaspora_id,
           first_name:       hcard.first_name,
           last_name:        hcard.last_name,
           image_url:        hcard.photo_large_url,
diff --git a/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/h_card.rb b/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/h_card.rb
index 941b7b2..e9222f5 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/h_card.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/h_card.rb
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ module DiasporaFederation
       property :guid
 
       # @!attribute [r] nickname
-      #   the first part of the diaspora handle
+      #   the first part of the diaspora ID
       #   @return [String] nickname
       property :nickname
 
diff --git a/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/person.rb b/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/person.rb
index 4dd2f09..a368369 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/person.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/person.rb
@@ -7,10 +7,11 @@ module DiasporaFederation
       #   @return [String] guid
       property :guid
 
-      # @!attribute [r] diaspora_handle
-      #   The diaspora handle of the person
-      #   @return [String] diaspora handle
-      property :diaspora_handle
+      # @!attribute [r] diaspora_id
+      #   @todo refactoring with properties_dsl, xml name should be diaspora_handle
+      #   The diaspora ID of the person
+      #   @return [String] diaspora ID
+      property :diaspora_id
 
       # @!attribute [r] url
       #   @see WebFinger#seed_url
diff --git a/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/profile.rb b/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/profile.rb
index 4c89671..6a338f0 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/profile.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora_federation/entities/profile.rb
@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@ module DiasporaFederation
   module Entities
     # this entity contains all the profile data of a person
     class Profile < Entity
-      # @!attribute [r] diaspora_handle
-      #   The diaspora handle of the person
-      #   @see Person#diaspora_handle
-      #   @return [String] diaspora handle
-      property :diaspora_handle
+      # @!attribute [r] diaspora_id
+      #   @todo refactoring with properties_dsl, xml name should be diaspora_handle
+      #   The diaspora ID of the person
+      #   @see Person#diaspora_id
+      #   @return [String] diaspora ID
+      property :diaspora_id
 
       # @!attribute [r] first_name
       #   @deprecated
diff --git a/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator.rb b/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator.rb
index 1ef5210..33c9957 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ module DiasporaFederation
 
       rule :guid, :guid
 
-      rule :diaspora_handle, :diaspora_id
+      rule :diaspora_id, :diaspora_id
 
       rule :url, :URI
 
diff --git a/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator.rb b/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator.rb
index ab672ff..4795f5a 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator.rb
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ module DiasporaFederation
     class ProfileValidator < Validation::Validator
       include Validation
 
-      rule :diaspora_handle, :diaspora_id
+      rule :diaspora_id, :diaspora_id
 
       # the name must not contain a semicolon because of mentions
-      # @{<name> ; <handle>}
+      # @{<full_name> ; <diaspora_id>}
       rule :first_name, regular_expression: {regex: /\A[^;]{,32}\z/}
       rule :last_name, regular_expression: {regex: /\A[^;]{,32}\z/}
 
diff --git a/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/rules/diaspora_id.rb b/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/rules/diaspora_id.rb
index 817e84d..f17f7b7 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/rules/diaspora_id.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/rules/diaspora_id.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ module Validation
     # This rule is based on https://github.com/zombor/Validator/blob/master/lib/validation/rule/email.rb
     # which was adapted from https://github.com/emmanuel/aequitas/blob/master/lib/aequitas/rule/format/email_address.rb
     class DiasporaId
-      DIASPORA_HANDLE = begin
+      DIASPORA_ID = begin
         letter         = "a-zA-Z"
         digit          = "0-9"
         username       = "[#{letter}#{digit}\-\_\.]+"
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ module Validation
 
       # Determines if value is a valid email
       def valid_value?(value)
-        !DIASPORA_HANDLE.match(value).nil?
+        !DIASPORA_ID.match(value).nil?
       end
 
       # This rule has no params
diff --git a/spec/controllers/diaspora_federation/webfinger_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/diaspora_federation/webfinger_controller_spec.rb
index 3a7c87e..98d5949 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/diaspora_federation/webfinger_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/diaspora_federation/webfinger_controller_spec.rb
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ module DiasporaFederation
         expect(response).to be_success
       end
 
-      it "contains the diaspora handle" do
+      it "contains the diaspora id" do
         get :legacy_webfinger, "q" => "acct:alice@localhost:3000"
         expect(response.body).to include "<Subject>acct:alice@localhost:3000</Subject>"
       end
diff --git a/spec/factories.rb b/spec/factories.rb
index 553a4fd..e46254a 100644
--- a/spec/factories.rb
+++ b/spec/factories.rb
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@ def r_str
 end
 
 FactoryGirl.define do
-  sequence(:diaspora_handle) {|n| "person-#{n}-#{r_str}@localhost:3000" }
+  sequence(:diaspora_id) {|n| "person-#{n}-#{r_str}@localhost:3000" }
   sequence(:public_key) { OpenSSL::PKey::RSA.generate(1024).public_key.export }
 
   factory :person do
-    diaspora_handle
+    diaspora_id
     url "http://localhost:3000/"
     serialized_public_key { generate(:public_key) }
     after(:create) do |u|
@@ -19,17 +19,17 @@ FactoryGirl.define do
 
   factory :person_entity, class: DiasporaFederation::Entities::Person do
     guid UUID.generate :compact
-    diaspora_handle
+    diaspora_id
     url "http://localhost:3000/"
     exported_key { generate(:public_key) }
     profile {
       DiasporaFederation::Entities::Profile.new(
-        FactoryGirl.attributes_for(:profile_entity, diaspora_handle: diaspora_handle))
+        FactoryGirl.attributes_for(:profile_entity, diaspora_id: diaspora_id))
     }
   end
 
   factory :profile_entity, class: DiasporaFederation::Entities::Profile do
-    diaspora_handle
+    diaspora_id
     first_name "my_name"
     last_name nil
     tag_string "#i #love #tags"
diff --git a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery_spec.rb b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery_spec.rb
index f209495..e70c933 100644
--- a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/discovery_spec.rb
@@ -3,18 +3,18 @@ module DiasporaFederation
     let(:host_meta_xrd) { FixtureGeneration.load_fixture("host-meta") }
     let(:webfinger_xrd) { FixtureGeneration.load_fixture("legacy-webfinger") }
     let(:hcard_html) { FixtureGeneration.load_fixture("hcard") }
-    let(:account) { alice.diaspora_handle }
+    let(:account) { alice.diaspora_id }
     let(:default_image) { "http://localhost:3000/assets/user/default.png" }
 
     describe "#intialize" do
-      it "sets handle" do
+      it "sets diaspora id" do
         discovery = Discovery::Discovery.new("some_user@example.com")
-        expect(discovery.handle).to eq("some_user@example.com")
+        expect(discovery.diaspora_id).to eq("some_user@example.com")
       end
 
       it "downcases account and strips whitespace, and sub 'acct:'" do
         discovery = Discovery::Discovery.new("acct:BIGBOY@Example.Com ")
-        expect(discovery.handle).to eq("bigboy@example.com")
+        expect(discovery.diaspora_id).to eq("bigboy@example.com")
       end
     end
 
@@ -30,13 +30,13 @@ module DiasporaFederation
         person = Discovery::Discovery.new(account).fetch
 
         expect(person.guid).to eq(alice.guid)
-        expect(person.diaspora_handle).to eq(account)
+        expect(person.diaspora_id).to eq(account)
         expect(person.url).to eq(alice.url)
         expect(person.exported_key).to eq(alice.serialized_public_key)
 
         profile = person.profile
 
-        expect(profile.diaspora_handle).to eq(alice.diaspora_handle)
+        expect(profile.diaspora_id).to eq(alice.diaspora_id)
         expect(profile.first_name).to eq("Dummy")
         expect(profile.last_name).to eq("User")
 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ module DiasporaFederation
         person = Discovery::Discovery.new(account).fetch
 
         expect(person.guid).to eq(alice.guid)
-        expect(person.diaspora_handle).to eq(account)
+        expect(person.diaspora_id).to eq(account)
       end
 
       it "falls back to http if https fails with ssl error" do
@@ -74,10 +74,10 @@ module DiasporaFederation
         person = Discovery::Discovery.new(account).fetch
 
         expect(person.guid).to eq(alice.guid)
-        expect(person.diaspora_handle).to eq(account)
+        expect(person.diaspora_id).to eq(account)
       end
 
-      it "fails if the handle does not match" do
+      it "fails if the diaspora id does not match" do
         modified_webfinger = webfinger_xrd.gsub(account, "anonther_user@example.com")
 
         stub_request(:get, "https://localhost:3000/.well-known/host-meta")
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ module DiasporaFederation
         expect { Discovery::Discovery.new(account).fetch }.to raise_error Discovery::DiscoveryError
       end
 
-      it "fails if the handle was not found" do
+      it "fails if the diaspora id was not found" do
         stub_request(:get, "https://localhost:3000/.well-known/host-meta")
           .to_return(status: 200, body: host_meta_xrd)
         stub_request(:get, "http://localhost:3000/webfinger?q=acct:#{account}")
@@ -173,13 +173,13 @@ module DiasporaFederation
         person = Discovery::Discovery.new(account).fetch
 
         expect(person.guid).to eq(alice.guid)
-        expect(person.diaspora_handle).to eq(account)
+        expect(person.diaspora_id).to eq(account)
         expect(person.url).to eq(alice.url)
         expect(person.exported_key).to eq(alice.serialized_public_key)
 
         profile = person.profile
 
-        expect(profile.diaspora_handle).to eq(alice.diaspora_handle)
+        expect(profile.diaspora_id).to eq(alice.diaspora_id)
         expect(profile.first_name).to be_nil
         expect(profile.last_name).to be_nil
 
diff --git a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/web_finger_spec.rb b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/web_finger_spec.rb
index a2d24a7..dbc372f 100644
--- a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/web_finger_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/discovery/web_finger_spec.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 module DiasporaFederation
   describe Discovery::WebFinger do
     let(:person) { FactoryGirl.create(:person) }
-    let(:acct) { "acct:#{person.diaspora_handle}" }
+    let(:acct) { "acct:#{person.diaspora_id}" }
     let(:public_key_base64) { Base64.strict_encode64(person.serialized_public_key) }
 
     let(:xml) {
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ XML
     context "generation" do
       it "creates a nice XML document" do
         wf = Discovery::WebFinger.new(
-          acct_uri:    "acct:#{person.diaspora_handle}",
+          acct_uri:    "acct:#{person.diaspora_id}",
           alias_url:   person.alias_url,
           hcard_url:   person.hcard_url,
           seed_url:    person.url,
diff --git a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator_spec.rb b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator_spec.rb
index b4d462b..4240f94 100644
--- a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/person_validator_spec.rb
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ module DiasporaFederation
       expect(validator.errors).to be_empty
     end
 
-    it_behaves_like "a diaspora_handle validator" do
+    it_behaves_like "a diaspora_id validator" do
       let(:entity) { :person_entity }
       let(:validator_class) { Validators::PersonValidator }
-      let(:property) { :diaspora_handle }
+      let(:property) { :diaspora_id }
     end
 
     it_behaves_like "a guid validator" do
diff --git a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator_spec.rb b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator_spec.rb
index 2339eee..01fc765 100644
--- a/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/diaspora_federation/validators/profile_validator_spec.rb
@@ -11,10 +11,10 @@ module DiasporaFederation
       expect(validator.errors).to be_empty
     end
 
-    it_behaves_like "a diaspora_handle validator" do
+    it_behaves_like "a diaspora_id validator" do
       let(:entity) { :profile_entity }
       let(:validator_class) { Validators::ProfileValidator }
-      let(:property) { :diaspora_handle }
+      let(:property) { :diaspora_id }
     end
 
     %i(first_name last_name).each do |prop|
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index be9589d..ceb42ca 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ require "entities"
 # some helper methods
 
 def alice
-  @alice ||= Person.find_by(diaspora_handle: "alice@localhost:3000")
+  @alice ||= Person.find_by(diaspora_id: "alice@localhost:3000")
 end
 
 # Requires supporting files with custom matchers and macros, etc,
diff --git a/spec/support/fixture_builder.rb b/spec/support/fixture_builder.rb
index dbb7f41..a737a58 100644
--- a/spec/support/fixture_builder.rb
+++ b/spec/support/fixture_builder.rb
@@ -11,6 +11,6 @@ FixtureBuilder.configure do |fbuilder|
 
   # now declare objects
   fbuilder.factory do
-    FactoryGirl.create(:person, diaspora_handle: "alice@localhost:3000")
+    FactoryGirl.create(:person, diaspora_id: "alice@localhost:3000")
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/support/shared_validator_specs.rb b/spec/support/shared_validator_specs.rb
index 7601335..07b7845 100644
--- a/spec/support/shared_validator_specs.rb
+++ b/spec/support/shared_validator_specs.rb
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ def entity_stub(entity, property, val=nil)
   instance
 end
 
-shared_examples "a diaspora_handle validator" do
-  it "validates a well-formed diaspora_handle" do
+shared_examples "a diaspora_id validator" do
+  it "validates a well-formed diaspora_id" do
     validator = validator_class.new(entity_stub(entity, property))
 
     expect(validator).to be_valid
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ shared_examples "a diaspora_handle validator" do
     expect(validator.errors).to include(property)
   end
 
-  it "must resemble an email address" do
-    validator = validator_class.new(entity_stub(entity, property, "i am a weird handle @@@ ### 12345"))
+  it "must be a valid diaspora id" do
+    validator = validator_class.new(entity_stub(entity, property, "i am a weird diaspora id @@@ ### 12345"))
 
     expect(validator).not_to be_valid
     expect(validator.errors).to include(property)
diff --git a/test/dummy/app/models/person.rb b/test/dummy/app/models/person.rb
index a46a163..4fce4cd 100644
--- a/test/dummy/app/models/person.rb
+++ b/test/dummy/app/models/person.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
   def atom_url;    "#{url}public/#{nickname}.atom" end
   def salmon_url;  "#{url}receive/users/#{guid}" end
 
-  def nickname;         diaspora_handle.split("@")[0] end
+  def nickname;         diaspora_id.split("@")[0] end
 
   def photo_default_url;  "#{url}assets/user/default.png" end
 
diff --git a/test/dummy/config/initializers/diaspora_federation.rb b/test/dummy/config/initializers/diaspora_federation.rb
index 190a1ae..d7883f1 100644
--- a/test/dummy/config/initializers/diaspora_federation.rb
+++ b/test/dummy/config/initializers/diaspora_federation.rb
@@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ DiasporaFederation.configure do |config|
   config.certificate_authorities = ca_file
 
   config.define_callbacks do
-    on :person_webfinger_fetch do |handle|
-      person = Person.find_by(diaspora_handle: handle)
+    on :person_webfinger_fetch do |diaspora_id|
+      person = Person.find_by(diaspora_id: diaspora_id)
       if person
         DiasporaFederation::Discovery::WebFinger.new(
-          acct_uri:    "acct:#{person.diaspora_handle}",
+          acct_uri:    "acct:#{person.diaspora_id}",
           alias_url:   person.alias_url,
           hcard_url:   person.hcard_url,
           seed_url:    person.url,
diff --git a/test/dummy/db/migrate/20150722224751_rename_diaspora_handle_to_diaspora_id.rb b/test/dummy/db/migrate/20150722224751_rename_diaspora_handle_to_diaspora_id.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e997558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/dummy/db/migrate/20150722224751_rename_diaspora_handle_to_diaspora_id.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+class RenameDiasporaHandleToDiasporaId < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  def change
+    rename_column :people, :diaspora_handle, :diaspora_id
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/dummy/db/schema.rb b/test/dummy/db/schema.rb
index 7167574..dfcda3a 100644
--- a/test/dummy/db/schema.rb
+++ b/test/dummy/db/schema.rb
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@
 #
 # It's strongly recommended that you check this file into your version control system.
 
-ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20150614014411) do
+ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20150722224751) do
 
   create_table "people", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.string   "guid",                  null: false
     t.text     "url",                   null: false
-    t.string   "diaspora_handle",       null: false
+    t.string   "diaspora_id",           null: false
     t.text     "serialized_public_key", null: false
     t.datetime "created_at",            null: false
     t.datetime "updated_at",            null: false