Digital Identities Tied to Physical Identities
Copyright 123RF

Digital Identities Tied to Physical Identities

Guy Huntington Guy Huntington

Guy Huntington

Trailblazing Human and Entity Identity & Learning Visionary - Created a new legal identity architecture for humans/ AI systems/bots and leveraged this to create a new learning architecture

发布日期: 2020年8月12日
+ 关注

December 27, 2023 update - I strongly suggest readers skim “How Do I Trust Entities??? Different Levels of Identity & Credential Assurance - A Thought Paper”

June 13, 2023 update - I strongly advise readers to skim these recent articles


As the planet madly rushes to different forms of digital identities, it's facing an underlying problem. The actual physical person behind the digital identity might not be whom they claim to be. This post builds upon an earlier post on synthetic identity fraud, by examining why we need to rethink the underlying legal structure for digital and physical identities.

Physical Identity Fraud

I was the identity architect for a government's digital citizen identity & authentication program. My team met with the government's security auditors, who told us they were the first jurisdiction in North America to use facial recognition on driver's licenses. Now, many years later, it wasn't working so well. Why? Fake birth certificates.

People were traveling across the country, creating false identities, and then leveraging this to move up the identity food chain, e.g. drivers licenses, passports, claiming government benefits and opening up bank accounts, etc. The cost of a crappy legal identity system today is staggering.

I suggest folks read "FakeIDsInAmerica: Challenges of Identification and The Critical Need for Training" by Susan Dworak, for yet another view of fake ID's, minors buying alcohol, etc.

Bank Accounts et al

Creating bank accounts in most countries around the planet requires, by law, a person producing government identity documentation to verify their identity, before opening the account. Thus, criminals who now have a legitimate fake identity can open up bank accounts. Banks themselves have been caught creating false bank and credit card accounts, with Wells Fargo being fined $3 billion!

The Technological Winds of Change - What's Coming at Us

When most people think of a "digital identity", they are thinking of their online persona's, where they use usernames/passwords et al to prove who they are. This is so old school. Why?

In the paper "Digital Twins/Virtual Selves, Identity, Security & Death" I lay out the digital selves future that's now here:

  • Virtual selves can be easily created
  • They're already smarter than us
  • They can think and act on our behalf
  • They may or may not look like us (parents think of your kids wanting to act like an adult, or criminals masquerading as us)
  • They live on long after we're dead

Being an old guy, it brings to life in my mind what I saw on Star Wars many years ago, i.e. Princess Leia's hologram. These entities are who businesses, governments and people will be interacting with in the not so distant future.

Then read this post "Do You Know Your Customers?", where I describe Jane Doe walking down a shopping mall wearing AI/AR glasses. It's the beginning of the new emerging digital reality we live in.

That's Why I Selected the Picture for This Post

How is a business, government or person going to be able to know who they're dealing with. Is it Jane or John Doe or, is it criminals masquerading as them digitally?

In some of my recent presentations, I sum all this up with one bright red word - YIKES!

Rethinking Human Legal Identity

Skim this paper "Rethinking Human Legal Identity". It lays out an architecture for rethinking legal identity. At the 100,000 foot level here's the summary:

  • When you're born, your legal identity information plus your forensic biometrics are written to not only a new age CRVS (Civil Registration Vital Statistics) system, BUT ALSO TO YOUR SOLICT (Source of Legal Identity & Credential Truth)
  • SOLICT is a database you control. It contains your legal identity information, credentials (e.g., Covid vaccination, education credentials etc.), as well as all consents given from you for use of your legal identity and credentials from cradle to grave
  • LSSI (Legal Self-Sovereign Identity) devices which are ways in which you prove your legal identity. These include physical legal ID card, digital legal application, biometrically tied wristband containing your legal identity information, and a chip implanted into you containing your legal identity
  • Smart digital identities of you. Depending on risk, you'll be required to legally register smart digital identities like digital twins, virtual selves, et al with the CRVS. These will be registered against your legal physical identity
  • PIAM (Personal Identity Access Management) which is an AI leverage identity assistant. You can preconfigure it to release, with your consent, identity information to others. For each one, the PIAM writes the consent agreement to your SOLICT
  • Rethought notaries - they're able to prove to a high degree of assurance it's really you
  • New, independent, global non-profit - it's job is to set legal identity standards, as well as do 24x7x365 threat analysis against the legal identity framework e.g., governance, business processes, tech and end users

Biometrics Are Not Secrets and Can Be Easily Stolen

Biometrics are not secrets. Just ask the German defense minister in 2014 who had her fingerprints obtained at a distance using a high resolution camera. Today, if your biometrics are obtained by criminals, you're effectively screwed because you can't revoke and re-issue them.

That's why on page 49 of this cost centre paper, it calls out for urgent research to confirm the 2015 paper of Rud Bolle. His paper suggested anonymizing biometrics such that they become revocable and re-issuable. If this is possible, the architecture heavily leverages this, significantly reducing risk of criminals stealing your biometrics. Look at the example of page 24 of the paper.

Benefits of a Rethought Legal Identity

  • Physical or digital legal identity, which the government issues, but you control i.e. a legal self sovereign identity (LSSI), which
  • Also contains your forensic biometrics (e.g. fingerprints and iris), which you control, able to prove to the highest level of identity assurance who you are, which
  • Enables you to determine the degree of information you want to release about yourself
  • I’m a human acting anonymously, above or below age of consent, gender, name, country, state/province, city/town, address, etc., which
  • Contains information about children you have or are guardian for or,
  • People you’re legally acting on behalf of, e.g. children, power of attorney, etc. or
  • Covid vaccinations, school degrees, transcripts, etc., that
  • Also contains information you’re authoritative for like your will, etc.
  • All of which you control in deciding who to release the information to
  • Each time when you do decide to release the information, the consent for the identity and data you’ve agreed to release, is written to your SOLICT
  • Now, you have a legal record, from your birth on, to all the consents granted to release your legal identity and data to which can be used by you, at a later date, to request removal from the datastores using acts like EU GDPR Article 17 (‘right to be forgotten’)
  • If your LSSI device is compromised, you’d simply request cancellation of it, and a new one issued
  • Your master legal identity data is written from birth, to to your own personal database which you control i.e., your SOLICT
  • Which is able to prove you are you by securely obtaining your biometrics, with your consent, and can legally verify you are you, at any place on the planet, to the highest level of identity assurance
  • When a civil registration event occurs to you, like a name/gender change, marriage, divorce, birth of children, etc., the local CRVS authority verifies, with your consent, your identity, via your biometrics, and updates the master SOLICT, which in turn updates your LSSI devices
  • With the ability to only write to your SOLICT but never be able to delete it
  • You can use your LSSI devices to anonymously prove Covid vaccinations, digitally sign documents using your legal identity, etc.
  • All with a global independent body administering the standards, API interfaces, as well as doing continuous testing of the governance, business processes and technological interfaces, to ensure your legal identity remains secure
  • It enables business and governments to streamline their legal identity processes, significantly reducing identity fraud
  • All without the government telling you when to use your legal identity, or how to use it

Tying the Digital Selves to the Underlying Physical Identity

Not all digital selves require legal registration. However, when the risk warrants it, they should be legally registered in a CRVS system, such that they're tied to the physical identity.

Skim, "Rethinking Human Legal Identity" where it discusses registering smart digital identities of us to our physical legal identity. Then skim pages 63-73 of this cost centre paper to do a deeper dive.

Controlling Smart Digital Identities Authorization Rights

SOLICT, LSSI devices and PIAM use the concept of TODA capability rights . These are authorization agreements. Hypothetically, Jane Doe's PIAM could issue to her smart digital version of herself, a set of capability rights. To see two examples of this, skim pages 29-30 of this paper.

Today's Best Identity Verification System Becoming Tomorrow's Turd

This curve hypothetically means each hour new attack vectors are being created against the legal identity framework. That's why we need to establish a global, independent, third party who's only job is to continuously test the governance, business processes and technological infrastructure used in physical and digital identity verification, 24x7x365.

It would produce threat assessments. A very low risk might take months or longer to address, while a very high risk will be responded to by jurisdictions, businesses and people within hours. This is bringing industry best practices to the world of legal identification.

Skim pages 142-153 of this cost centre paper to learn more.

And Finally, Just to Muddy the Identity Waters Even More...

We have on the not so distant horizon the following coming at us:

Out of the Box Times, Calls For Out of the Box Solutions

This curve, means the pace of change increases each day. It especially applies to legal identity and delegation. Albert Einstein talked about solving new problems in this quote, "We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."?Thus, I’m looking for innovative out of the box thinking funders and jurisdictions to work with.

I'll end with a quote by Robin Sharma, "All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and so gorgeous at the end."

About Guy Huntington

I'm an identity trailblazing problem solver. My past clients include Boeing, Capital One and the Government of Alberta's Digital Citizen Identity & Authentication project. Many of my past projects were leading edge at the time in the identity/security space. I've spent the last eight years working my way through creating a new legal identity architecture and leveraging this to then rethink learning.

I've also done a lot in education as a volunteer over my lifetime.?This included chairing my school district's technology committee in the 90's - which resulted in wiring most of the schools with optic fiber, behind building a technology leveraged school, and past president of Skills Canada BC and Skills Canada.

I do short term consulting for Boards, C-suites and Governments, assisting them in readying themselves for the arrival of AI systems, bots and AI leveraged, smart digital identities of humans.

I've written LOTS about the change coming. Skim the?over 100 LinkedIn articles?I've written,?or my webpage?with lots of papers.

Quotes I REALLY LIKE!!!!!!:

  • We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” – Albert Einstein
  • “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” – Robin Sharma
  • “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future” – John F. Kennedy

Reference Links:

An Identity Day in The Life:

My Message To Government & Industry Leaders:

National Security:

Rethinking Legal Identity, Credentials & Learning:

Learning Vision:

Creativity:

AI Agents:

Architecture:

领英推荐

AI/Human Legal Identity/Learning Cost References

AI Leveraged, Smart Digital Identities of Humans:

CISO's:

Companies, C-Suites and Boards:

Legal Identity & TODA:

Enterprise Articles:

Rethinking Enterprise Architecture In The Age of AI:

LLC's & AI:

Challenges With AI:

New Security Model:

DAO:

Kids:

Sex:

Schools:

Biometrics:

Legal Identity:

Identity, Death, Laws & Processes:

Open Source:

Notaries:

Climate Change, Migration & Legal Identity:

"Human Migration, Physical and Digital Legal Identity - A Thought Paper”

Fraud/Crime:

Behavioral Marketing:

AI Systems and Bots:

Contract Law:

Insurance:

Health:

AI/AR/VR Metaverse Type Environments:

SOLICT:

EMP/HEMP Data Centre Protection:

Climate:

A 100,000-Foot Level Summary Of Legal Human Identity

  • Each person when they’re born has their legal identity data plus their forensic biometrics (fingerprints, and later when they can keep their eyes open – their iris) entered into a new age CRVS system (Civil Registration Vital Statistics - birth, name/gender change, marriage/divorce and death registry) with data standards
  • The CRVS writes to an external database, per single person, the identity data plus their forensic biometrics called a SOLICT “Source of Legal Identity & Credential Truth).?The person now controls this
  • As well, the CRVS also writes to the SOLICT legal identity relationships e.g. child/parent, cryptographically linking the SOLICTs.?So Jane Doe and her son John will have cryptographic digitally signed links showing their parent/child.?The same methodology can be used for power of attorney/person, executor of estate/deceased, etc.
  • The SOLICT in turn then pushes out the information to four different types of LSSI Devices “Legal Self-Sovereign Identity”; physical ID card, digital legal identity app, biometrically tied physical wristband containing identity information or a chip inserted into each person
  • The person is now able, with their consent, to release legal identity information about themselves.?This ranges from being able to legally, anonymously prove they’re a human (and not a bot), above or below age of consent, Covid vaccinated, etc.?It also means they can, at their discretion, release portions of their identity like gender, first name, legal name, address, etc.
  • NOTE: All consents granted by the person are stored in their SOLICT
  • Consent management for each person will be managed by their PIAM “Personal Identity Access Management) system.?This is AI leveraged, allowing the person, at their discretion, to automatically create consent legal agreements on the fly
  • It works both locally and globally, physically and digitally anywhere on the planet
  • AI systems/bots are also registered, where risk requires it, in the new age CRVS system
  • Governance and continual threat assessment, is done by a new, global, independent, non-profit funded by a very small charge per CRVS event to a jurisdiction to a maximum yearly amount.

A 100,000-Foot Level Summary Of The Learning Vision:

  • When the learner is a toddler, with their parents’ consent, they’ll be assessed by a physical bot for their learning abilities.?This will include sight, sound, hearing and smell, as well as hand-eye coordination, how they work or don’t work with others, learning abilities, all leveraging biometric and behavioral data
  • All consents given on behalf of the learner or, later in the learner’s life by the learner themselves, are stored in the learner’s SOLICT “Source of Legal Identity & Credential Truth”
  • This is fed into a DLT “Digital Learning Twin”, which is created and legally bound to the learner
  • The DLT the produces its first IEP “Individualized Education Plan”, for the learner
  • The parents take home with them a learning assistant bot to assist the learner, each day, in learning.?The bot updates the DLT, which in turn continually refines the learner’s IEP
  • All learning data from the learner is stored in their LDV “Learner Data Vault”
  • When the learner’s first day of school comes, the parents prove the learner and their identities and legal relationship with the learner, via their LSSI devices (Legal Self-Sovereign Identity)
  • With their consent, they approve how the learner’s identity information will be used not only within the school, but also in AI/AR/VR learning environments
  • As well, the parents give their consent for the learner’s DLT, IEP and learning assistant bot to be used, via their PIAM (Personal Identity Access Management) and the learner’s PIAM
  • The schools LMS “Learning Management System” instantly takes the legal consent agreements, plus the learner’s identity and learning information, and integrates this with the school’s learning systems
  • From the first day, each learner is delivered a customized learning program, continually updated by both human and AI system/bot learning specialists, as well as sensors, learning assessments, etc.
  • All learner data collected in the school, is stored in the learner’s LDV
  • If the learner enters any AI/AR/VR type learning environment, consent agreements are created instantly on the fly with the learner, school, school districts, learning specialists, etc.?
  • These specify how the learner will be identified, learning data use, storage, deletion, etc.
  • When the learner acquires learning credentials, these are digitally signed by the authoritative learning authority, and written to the learner’s SOLICT.
  • The SOLICT in turn pushes these out to the learner’s LSSI devices
  • The learner is now in control of their learning credentials
  • When the learner graduates, they’ll be able, with their consent, to offer use of their DLT, IEP and LDV to employers, post-secondary, etc.?This significantly reduces time and costs to train or help the learner learn
  • The learner continually leverages their DLT/IEP/LDV until their die i.e., it’s a lifelong learning system
  • IT’S TRANSFORMATIONAL OVER TIME, NOT OVERNIGHT


Debesh Choudhury, PhD

Information Security Researcher, Academician, Entrepreneur | Password & Cybersecurity, Digital Identity, Biometrics Limit, 3D Education | Linux Trainer | Writer | Podcast Host

4 年

Love this article Guy Huntington, digital identity is such an overwhelming topic today. The government departments, the tech service providers, or the normal citizens, everybody is poised to grab the ultimate digital identity product. But nobody knows what exactly they would adopt, sell, or get.

赞
回复

要查看或添加评论，请登录

Guy Huntington的更多文章

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了