Wiki/ngi-forward-tangle-ee-identity-initiative

NGI Forward, the Eclipse Foundation and the IOTA Foundation aim to jointly work on writing and releasing a position paper.

• Purpose is to position a viable alternative with relevant EU stakeholders on how digital identity for EU citizens could/should be introduced
• Position of Eclipse in EU can play key role, IOTA Identity can play a key role
• Commercial solutions should be considered viable as well (EU - Higher abstraction level)
• Privacy could be the key theme to weave a position paper around
• Relevancy > either via current/upcoming legislation, EU Commission key agenda topics?
• Position paper can be followed-up by organizing webinars with key stakeholders
• Centrifugal forces needed > Eclipse Foundation members? Bosch, Siemens? Atos, Microsoft? Need to leverage relevant existing contacts
• Sense of urgency > Aim to finalize position paper Q1 2021
• Collaboration will happen through this wiki page.

Identity in the broadest sense of the word is being foregrounded on all levels; technically, culturally and in policymaking. This marks the shift in paradigms caused by the growing hybridity (mixing and merging the analogue real, the digital capabilities of AI, machine Learning, foresight and the new virtual possibilities to new ways of visualization) that is accelerated by COVID19. An interesting and politically important mix of data, identity, (cyber)security needs to be addressed from a just far enough foreseeable future in order to be relevant to concrete issues on the ground and to an emerging future that can be grasped but not fully outlined yet. It is clear that there is no point in solving yesterdays problems, and in order to create a coherent and widely shared vision of tomorrow we are running another series of seminars/webinars.

In the NGI Forward Salon: Drivers of the Digital Transition: data, identity and cybersecurity - see https://app.livestorm.co/made-group/disposable-identities-and-digital-twins-by-ngi - the participants sketch what is needed to create a string vision and praxis of a sovereign Europe catering to 500 million taxpaying citizens all demanding and rightfully so - good services for their hard earned pay.

The participants, after giving a quick overview of their current work (see below) were asked what was it they were missing most in order to push their vision and projects forward fast. Daniël Du Seuil says we need a big showcase. If you have that sparkle the rest will follow. The ideas and concepts are there, but we need a stellar use case. Petros Kavassalis agrees that use cases are very important, and we also need moe networks of action. We need to build interdisciplinary structures to co-create projects that foreground consensus that the issue is actually a social issue - more than a technological - one. We also need more involvement from the private sector to participate. In these network and of course the concerns of citizens should be safeguarded. According to Thibault Verbiest what they as a Foundation are lacking most is a proof of concept moving from the white paper and that entails a block chain protocol that does not exist today. He has a three year roadmap that outlines a vision that seems to be aligned with the recent initiatives in Europe towards Digital Sovereignty. Anubha Sinha lacks robust evidence of actual user experience of digital identity systems, especially to investigate the potential level of function creep, the amount to which the goals were not appropriate and according to what was stated to the user. This will help them in building models that can assist both governments and citizens in making informed choices. Irene Hernandez who has recently started ESSIF-Lab - Verifier Universal Interface - interop WG anticipataing interoperability issues on this important component, feels most needed is a regulatory sandbox - a safe regulatory environment. In explaining their solutions their potential customers are asking: Is it legal?n Is there a regulatory framework? nHow does this match with other regulation? She thinks that until this uncertainty is solved this could hamper innovation in Europe. Daniel agrees fully and states that within the EBSI infrastructure there will be an EBSI sandbox and active support in bringing the current suboptimal situation to optimal in a stable vision, a real moonshot.

Taking our cue from these experts we present three two pagers explaining the issue of identity to European policymakers, industry both Industry 40 and SME and a general audience of concerned citizens.

1. Identity for policy makers

Why is it as urgent as COVID19?

What should to do now, as in now?

What should you aim it three years from now?

2. Identity for industry

Why is it as urgent as COVID19?

What should to do now, as in now?

What should you aim it three years from now?

3. Identity for citizens

Why is it as urgent as COVID19?

What should to do now, as in now?

What should you aim it three years from now?