A matter of identities

Nowadays, users register to a service and, usually, the service itself stores the users data - the identity. Today the majority of online services are centralized and rely, in some form, on a single authority for identity management. SEDIMARK instead aims to be a fully decentralized data Marketplace.

This architectural choice has consequences also on the management of the users belonging to the system. With decentralization in mind, SEDIMARK adopts a new model for the identity, the Self Sovereign Identity (SSI).

SSI

SSI is a digital identity model that gives the user who creates it full control over his or her identity and the information to be shared.

The SSI model is rooted on the Decentralized Identity paradigm: it is the user him/her-self – the Holder of the identity -  that owns a unique identity composed of a set of attributes.

The attributes are releasedand associated to the identity by other entities – the Issuers of such claims.

These claims can be checked by other entities – called Verifiers. As an example, imagine a new graduate from a university. His/Her digital identity may contain a claim “Graduated” issued by the University. A future employer who wants to check this information acts as the Verifier.

SSI in practice

SSI? Never heard of it!

Yes, SSI is is a relatively new concept in the field of digital identity. It is an emerging technology relying on blockchain and other distributed ledgers which are in turn still evolving. Embracing and implementing these new identity systems is a process that requires time…

…But things are moving forward!

Microsoft has recently released a new product called Microsoft Entra Verified ID that employs decentralized identity.

Also European Union is addressing the EU citizen identities towards a model where the users have full control of their data with the European Digital Identity Wallet.

SSI in SEDIMARK

SEDIMARK will deploy its own custom SSI framework relying on IOTA Tangle DLT.

The users of the marketplace will have full control on their digital identity, allowing to preserve and maintain their privacy. Users have the ability to create and manage their own identities without relying on a central authority.

Moreover, thanks to SSI, also the authentication and authorization policies can be enforced with a more granular control. For example, a data provider can verify who is authorized to receive its data, liming the access only to a certain group.

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