I read this article and wondered if Cardano’s DID could play a role in this. This would be huge! Glad to hear your thoughts. EU launches digital identity for all Europeans
Nothing is said about blockchain technology, right ? And even if that was the case I highly doubt they would opt for a public one. Pretty much like for a digital Euro, or any other digital central bank currency.
You’re right, nothing is said about using blockchain technology. But blockchain could be used for that purpose. IOG has the technology to implement DID with blockchain. Maybe if the EU could explore the possibility. As far as I understand they’re still in an exploration fase. It’s just a thought.
Of course it is a valid solution from a technical point of view. But there is also a political factor at play. Any government will want absolute control over its citizen’s data, and absolute control comes hand in hand with a centralized solution or possibly a private blockchain (not decentralized by definition). Pretty much the same problematics and solution for central banks concerning their use of digital currencies.
It turns out the European Commission is really talking with IOHK about digital identity. Privilege Project
What is the relation between The Privilege Project and Digital identity for EU citizens ? I hardly see how any EU sovereign State would want to give you more “anonymity” and “privacy” regarding your digital identity. And I still don’t think that exploring blockchain solutions for one project does imply that they will use it for everything. Blockchains have many useful applications but they’re not suited for any problem. For instance, a student’s digital id does not entail the same constraints as a citizen’s id.
First, this is a proposal from the European Commission, not from the sovereign states, although the have a saying in it. The EC wants European citizens to be able to identify themselves cross-border. Read all about it here https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-digital-identity_en
They also want to European citizens to be less dependent on big tech companies like Google and Facebook and protect people from sharing personal data with those companies.
Ok, that clarifies things, it’s an id “for people who wants to use it” then you’re right the main constraint is a technical validity. As for identifying citizens across borders, I presume this is only inside Schengen space, or rather the subset of interested States. Their objective is commendable, though. Not only about digital id, free softwares and open data projects like OpenStreetMap would benefit many. Inside and outside of Europe.