“Self-Sovereign Identity: The Future of Digital Identity Management”

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?A Digital Identity is a virtual representation of an individual on digital platforms and the internet. The types of Digital Identities are mentioned below:

Centralized Identity:

In this type, an organization manages an individual's identity through an account. Access is granted via a username and password, and the organization determines the account's access rights. Examples: Banking websites (internet banking), government sites.

Federated Identity:

When an individual uses a single digital identity to access different service providers or organizations, it is called a Federated Identity. This works with the Identity Provider (IdP) Model. In this model, an Identity Provider acts as a central authority, authenticating users to access other organizations' services based on their registered email address or username. Examples of Identity Providers are Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and LinkedIn.

How IDP Models Works in this Process?

1.???? Initiate access: When you try to access a Service Provider, i.e., some website or app, you'll be given the option to sign in using an existing account from a recognized Identity Provider like Google, Facebook, or Microsoft..

2.???? Authenticate with IdP: You choose an IdP and get redirected to their authentication page. Here, you'll prove your identity by entering your credentials (username/email and password) associated with that IdP account. IdP account example is Google Account.

3.???? IdP verification: The IdP verifies your provided credentials. If authenticated successfully, the IdP sends a confirmation or token back to the Service Provider.

?4.???? Service Provider Validation: The Service Provider validates the confirmation or token received from the IdP, essentially trusting the identity verified by the IdP.

?5.???? Access granted: Upon successful validation, the Service Provider grants you access to their services without requiring you to create a new account, as your existing IdP account is now linked.

While these two identities have some benefits like simplicity for user and convenience of accessing multiple services over the internet, it also has some disadvantages as mentioned below:

1.???? Centralized control: Identity Providers have complete control over user’s digital identities.

2.???? Privacy concerns: They have records of personal data and logs of our internet activity.

3.???? Limited user control: Users have no control over how their personal data is used, shared, or monetized by the Identity Providers.

4.???? Single Point of Failure: In case of any security breach or outage, it can affect the user's ability to access multiple services that rely on that provider for authentication.

5.???? Lack of Transparency: Users may not have full transparency into the data practices, security measures, and policies of the Identity Providers they rely on.

How can we solve the above problems?

?The answer is the Self Sovereign Identity (SSI). ?

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) :

?Self-Sovereign Identities are user-centric identities where users have full control over their identity. Users can manage various attributes associated with their identity, selectively disclose specific data, and act as administrators. This solution is built on a decentralized infrastructure, leveraging Distributed Ledger technologies (DLT).

?Here we have three participants in the technical flow shown as mentioned below:

1.??????Issuer: The organization that issues the credentials. Example: Organization issuer Identity card.

2.??????Holder: Holder can be organization or individual that will be holding issued Identity.

3.??????Verifier: The organization or individual whom holder needs to proof their Identity.?

How SSI works in the above process?

1.???? The Issuer registers itself with a public identifier in a Verifiable Data Registry.

2.???? The Issuer issues a Credential to the Holder, signed with their public identifier

3.???? The Holder manages these credentials in their digital wallet.

4.???? The Holder presents the Credential to a Verifier.

5.???? The Verifier?can trust this data by reading and resolving the public identifier on the Verifiable Data Registry.?

Conclusion

Digital identities are essential for securely and efficiently navigating the internet. Although centralized and federated identity models offer certain benefits, they also have significant drawbacks. Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) emerges as a promising solution that addresses these limitations. By leveraging Distributed Ledger Technology, SSI empowers users with control, privacy, security, and transparency in managing their digital identities. Unlike traditional models, SSI is a user-centric approach that puts individuals in charge of their personal data. By enabling users to manage their own identities, SSI eliminates the need for centralized authorities, mitigating risks such as data breaches and single points of failure. Moreover, SSI aligns with principles of data sovereignty and selective disclosure, allowing users to choose what information they share and with whom. Ultimately, SSI offers a more secure, private, and trustworthy approach to digital identity management, making it a viable solution for the future.?

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