Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)
Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) exemplifies and embodies the shift towards enhancing user agency and autonomy in the digital world. Premised on the idea that users should be able to administer, manage, and have control over their digital identity, SSI enables people to use and control the use of their identification details without the need to rely on any central authority or navigate the existing fragmented and inefficient identification processes, marking a revolutionary step towards a user-controlled, autonomy-enhancing, secure, and decentralized model of digital identity management.
An SSI contains identification details and information about a person or a business (or any other thing, for that matter); details under an SSI model are securely verified, authenticated, and stored, are fully controlled by their owner, and are portable. Further to the needs of SSI, distributed ledger/blockchain technology platforms offer optimal hosting solutions to SSI models.
SSI is the digital equivalent to storing and controlling physical identification details, such as those found in our passports, driver licenses, certificates, etc. An SSI model works with Digital Identifiers and Verifiable Claims; digital identifiers are mere identifiers of claims about one’s digital identity, which claims are verifiable either by the user or a third-party/trusted entity. Users have control over their digital identifiers and the claims these identifiers are linked with.
As SSI models operate on DLT/blockchain, identity claims are verified in a cryptography-backed, immutable, and transparent manner, granting the necessary integrity and security to the SSI model. SSI achieves unmatched user control over their identity claims, devoid of fragmentation, external control, and central authority dependency.
Our lawtech firm has been extremely receptive of the turn to agency- and autonomy-centered digital data models from the start. This gave us early insight to the area, gaining in-depth knowledge on the legal and regulatory, business, and technical matters surrounding SSI models. Our legal services are comprehensive; we ensure the compliant implementation of SSI-based platforms, taking note of all the applicable regimes depending on the precise business model pursued. At the same time, we offer consultation that is informed by the latest regulatory developments that may be combined and used to the benefit, and facilitate the operation, of such SSI-based platforms (such as eIDAS). Our lawtech practice is valuable in this area; we understand the issues relating to the technical implementation of SSI models and can offer legal advice on the supporting technology behind SSI.
Testament to our law firm’s expertise with SSI is our founder’s personal involvement as an advisor to a highly anticipated and promising blockchain-enabled SSI project, which has been included in a technical report of ISO, as an example of blockchain use cases. Our founder has led the project through its legal and regulatory needs, handling the legal component of the project’s proposal, while coordinating and communicating with ISO officials. This has provided unique insight and invaluable hands-on experience to our founder, who is well-versed to advise and help implement SSI-based projects. Our founder’s early work in the area, has also manifested in her participation to numerous seminars, conferences, and events as main speaker on SSI.