Digital Identities present a modern and effective use case of Blockchain’s decentralized capability to record participant information with strict rules of security to limit access while having the feature to update the records as new information are attained.

In Europe, Estonia and Switzerland have laid the groundwork in utilizing digital identities to manage personal information in a local government level. In Asia, India and Singapore have unveiled their own frameworks for their respective national identity programs.

In essence, digital identities will replace the traditional personal information record keeping employed by local governments such as in the mediums of paper. While the records are encoded into electronic records stored in database warehouses, the architecture presents cracks with its ageing storage medium as records remain fragmented, redundant and often out of date.

While digital identities have made a sizable impact in governance, commerce and business, technology advocates note that the lack of public engagement in the local and national level are hampering its momentum as a framework for future governance of personal information.

As we start 2019, below are the key issues surrounding the traction of digital identities that organizations and governments must address.

Implementation Framework

A national identity is a historic undertaking and its initial challenges are paved against its institutional implementation. From registration, to key partners, long-term maintenance and the mediums to authenticate or validate sequential information updates are the challenges that must be addressed with an efficient series of solution to sustain the framework.

Time and Essential

Are digital identities really needed? That is the common question that is often asked when a government or organization proposes a national or large-scale framework. While it is an academic or societal structure form of debate, digital identities fundamentally offers a solution against the rampant cases of personal information risks, cyber-security and the non-compliance of shareholders on record-keeping that houses personal information. In conforming with a national digital identity framework, we are further institutionalizing a modern approach in record keeping for individual information.

Pitfalls

While the challenges in adopting a digital identity program remain, there are pitfalls to be noted that may otherwise doom the undertaking:

• High barriers of entry
• High cost of maintenance
• Trust and Relations of custodians
• Viability of the platform and its components

In crafting a national digital identity program, the government and its partners all share a huge responsibility in maintaining its continuity. It is advisable that the program maintain a low barrier of entry in terms of logistics and compliance in order to efficiently enroll households of families.

Vulnerability and High Privacy

Securing and making sure that the data warehouses remain safe is but one of the many contingencies that governments and their collaborators must maintain for long term. Other contingency such as recovery, backup and regulatory legislations are also factor in governing the institutions under the digital identity program. Ideally, personal information security must be taken into a high account by the government and must in turn, enact laws to further reinforce its integrity.

DynaQuest Technology Services is a Blockchain consultant and resource specialist in building digital identities under Blockchain. In starting a project, contact DynaQuest: +63 2 2241862 info@dqtsi.com