This standard contemplates a series of basic concepts and processes of self-management of identity. The UNE proposes to make it a European standard before the standardization agencies.
In recent days, the Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE) published the UNE 71307-1 Standard. This is the first block-chain based standard on decentralized digital identity management that people have known in the world. The common language that the technical standards establish is necessary to achieve the digital transformation of societies.
The standard serves as a frame of reference that individuals or organizations can use to establish, manage, and use their digital identity. By managing their information without having to resort to centralized authorities, users will be able to guarantee the security of the processes while protecting their privacy.
The document includes aspects that allow defining the main actors, as well as the characteristics that constitute the structure of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs). Similarly, it establishes the duration of DIDs, the requirements for obtaining the credential, and the presentation.
With the publication of the standard, the UNE completed intensive work that began in July 2019. On that date, they created Group GT1 of CTN 71/SC 307, which has been in charge of preparing the standard. This is also a milestone since it is the first European standard based on the standardization of decentralized identity management.
In this regard, the agency has proposed to make the document a European standard. To that end, they presented it to the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC). In this sense, work has already begun with the constitution of a standardization group. Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) is one of the topics that the world’s governments are exploring. With this, they seek to promote open exponential technologies for the development of societies. Under this model, any person or organization will be able to maintain complete control of their identity without depending on any intermediary. In other words, neither large corporations nor governments will be in charge of collecting, storing, and processing data centrally.
Latin America Promotes Digital Identity on Blockchain
Although the SSI movement is very young, the concept is taking shape and meaning in Spain and Latin America. The projects in question include those from Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia. They predict years of work and countless job opportunities in these countries.
A prominent initiative in Argentina is the DIDI project, which the Bitcoin Argentina Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) lead. In Colombia, the IDEMIA Company has worked to digitize the National Civil Registry and Identification of the population since 2017.
Around 10 Spanish companies, including banks and energy companies, have been developing a self-managed digital identity system through blockchain. The project completed the proof of concept in the first phase in October 2020, with the second phase beginning in November. They plan to start the Dalion project in May 2021, seeking to provide people with a unique self-managed digital identity.
By Alexander Salazar
