Digital Identity As I See It

I recently embarked on the journey to see how identity has evolved over the decades and my findings have been fascinating. An individual’s identity used to rely on a third party verifying that they are who they are claiming to be. Today we have trusted sources that do this for us, such as the governing body of the area you live in, and this is typically done through official documentation that is recognised globally for instance a passport or driver’s license.

In November, I had the opportunity to go to the south of France to attend Trustech 2019, an event that highlighted identity and brought together individuals looking into this space, aiming to further innovate and bring ideas on how this space can evolve going forwards.

At Trustech, identity was presented from different perspectives. Various providers explained how they were tackling issues that range from users owning and maintaining their own infrastructure so they are able to share data on their own accord, to third-party managed infrastructure where the users are segregated based on the level of information they are prepared to share. But do we want to be segregated based on the data we are willing to share, and are we ready to manage our own data storage infrastructure?

A thought that struck me during the event was how freely we as individuals share data to prove age for instance. Currently, if we are purchasing alcohol or buying a lottery ticket to verify our age we are expected to show a driving license. This has now become the norm, and we often don’t think twice about handing this information over. But what if there was a way we could only share necessary information without giving away other details pertaining to our identity? Also, how are we in this day and age still using our drivers licenses to verify age?

The ways identity has evolved has enabled the digitisation of identity. From storing user data to empowering users to own and share their data on their own accord. Years ago when I first received my National Insurance number it was printed on a card I was expected to show my employer, today it is just presented as a number that does not require a card.

The discussions at Trustech were around ways in which data can be stored digitally and made mobile to individuals as well as organisations. However, over 65% of the exhibition stands were advertising physical printing machines, for ID cards. I only came across one stand that was focused on digitally identifying and recording an individual’s identity. This begs the question: are we innovating fast enough in the identity area? If so, is the rest of the world ready for this change or is this all just blue sky thinking?

A buzzword used a lot around identity and at Trustech is data sovereignty: the idea that data is subject to the laws and governance structure within the nation it is collected. Different countries and regions have their own regulations on user data and data flows. Some countries and regions are pushing for a modernised approach on how data is handled. For instance, it took 7 years to modernise Convention 108+, which protects individuals with regards to the automatic processing of personal data. One of the convention’s key aims is to promote the free flow of data. However not all countries and regions are on the same page; some countries are reluctant to share data flows due to the concept of data sovereignty being too new for them.

So far it’s safe to say my journey on learning about identity has been an interesting one. I look forward to continuing witnessing the evolution and innovation around identity and perhaps even contribute to this exciting, ever-changing area.

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