Identity should be Self Sovereign
Contributors to Wikimedia projects
Identity is a very important part of our lives. Currently, our identity is controlled and managed by the government we were born under or the services we sign up to. As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, self-sovereign identity becomes increasingly important in ensuring privacy, security, and user autonomy in the digital world.
There are many different identity providers that are not tied to government, like Single Sign On services or SSO. You may be familiar with the "Log in with Google" or "Log in with Facebook" buttons on web pages or apps you use. These are implementations of SSO. The idea is one account that manages your online identity. This makes navigating the web much easier, as you don't need to create an account for every website.
There is an inherent problem with the current implementation of online identity. It relies on a third party like Google or Facebook to manage your account or identity for you. This means in the unlikely scenario, where Facebook or Google go bankrupt, you then lose access to all your accounts. Or in the more likely scenario, where Google or Facebook bans/blocks your account for something you didn't do, like what happened here.
This is where the idea of Self Sovereign Identity or SSI really shines. One of the primary benefits of SSI is enhanced personal data management. With traditional identity systems, individuals often have limited control over their personal information, which can be vulnerable to breaches or misuse by third parties. Self-sovereign identities empower users to take back this control and decide who has access to their data, as well as how it is used. This not only enhances privacy but also enables individuals to better protect themselves from potential risks associated with data breaches or unauthorized sharing of personal information.
The European Union is actively working on implementing SSI for their identity management systems, while Ethiopia has adopted the Atala PRISM platform for issuing academic credentials.
Another significant advantage of SSI is increased user autonomy and agency in the digital world. In traditional identity systems, users often feel powerless and disconnected from the processes that govern their online experiences. Self-sovereign identities shift this dynamic by giving individuals more control over their digital lives, allowing them to assert their rights and make informed decisions about how their data is used. This increased agency can lead to a more equitable and user-centric approach to technology development and deployment.
In addition to enhancing privacy and promoting user autonomy, self-sovereign identities also have the potential to streamline various processes across different sectors. For instance, SSI could facilitate secure and efficient digital identity verification for financial services or other applications that require proof of identity. This can help reduce fraud, improve trust in digital transactions, and make life easier for users who no longer need to worry about lost or stolen identification documents.
Now, I would love to say SSI has all benefits with no downside, but that is not true. The biggest downside to SSI is the fact that it is by design Self Sovereign. This means that it requires a decent amount of digital literacy to be able to maintain your own identity. If you lose access to your SSI account or keys, there is no recovery process other than what you (or the SSI system) put in place. This makes it very difficult for people who are not as digitally literate to be able to manage their own identity.
As the concept of self-sovereign identity continues to gain traction, it is essential for individuals, businesses, and governments alike to recognize its importance and embrace this new paradigm in digital identity management. By empowering users with greater control over their personal information and enabling more user-centric approaches to technology development, self-sovereign identities have the potential to transform the way we live, work, and interact in the digital age.