On September 25th, 2023 the OpenID Foundation announced a brand new whitepaper “Human-Centric Digital Identity: for Government Officials”. The whitepaper, co-branded by twelve non-profit organizations including UNHCR, functions as a blueprint for government officials in navigating human-centric digital identity. It does so by going into the global digital identity landscape, exploring its implications for international human rights and the OECD Digital Identity Recommendations. Built up in three parts, it assesses opportunities, risks, and governance of digital identities, emphasizing human-centric design, and highlights the need for discussions on global interoperability amidst increasing digitization.
One of the paper’s contributors is Henk Marsman (Digital Identity Expert & Principal Consultant at SonicBee). Below, a word from him regarding the publication:
“Digital identity solutions are increasingly deployed across the globe and we see in many cases that they are not purely technological constructs. It is not just a wallet, a card, or a token. Identity solutions are socio-economic and political constructs and they impact how citizens and state interact as well as how citizens interact amongst themselves. This has an impact on society, with potential benefits and downsides. My research on (the history of) identity registration and the ethics of digital identity gave a good basis for contributions to this paper, as well as discussions with the other authors.
Governments have a pivotal role as a trust anchor for legal identity, and this publication reviews digital identity specifically from that angle. I hope increasingly digital identity solutions will be more inclusive and human centric.”
Henk Marsman
Digital Identity Expert &
Principal Consultant SonicBee
Summary and Key Insights “Human-Centric Digital Identity: for Government Officials”
Objective & Publisher
What does the global digital identity landscape look like? More specifically, what is, or should be, the role of this landscape in international human rights? This whitepaper, published by OpenID foundation and co-branded by twelve non-profit organizations, aims to provide a comprehensive look into all of it, set against a backdrop of the recent OECD Digital Identity Recommendations.
Research process & forming of the whitepaper
An important piece of work on a topic that grows more relevant by the day as our global society digitizes like never before. One whitepaper that brings together months of public listening sessions, workshops, interviews with experts, and public review, involving contributions from a wide variety of diverse stakeholders including technologists, government officials, human rights advocates and more.
Focus & content breakdown
The overarching theme and focus of is exploration and guidance on global digital identity implementation and governance, with special attention given to challenges faced by vulnerable populations, such as stateless individuals and migrant families.
Reading the whitepaper, you’ll find it’s built up through three distinct parts that:
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- Part 1: Discusses the opportunities and risks of Digital Identity technologies, influenced by varying motivations across countries – from economics to national security.
- Part 2: Analyzes Digital Identity paradigms in different markets and addresses common trade-offs. References another whitepaper on the challenges of creating a privacy-preserving Digital Identity landscape globally.
- Part 3: Gives guidance to government officials based on principles from existing literature, including OECD Recommendations on Digital Identity governance.
Key findings and insights
This publication recognizes, foremost, the diverse needs and approaches of different nations in the realm of digital identities. Secondly, it highlights best design practices and strategic approaches that uphold human rights, and, lastly, emphasizes the potential of a global digital identity infrastructure to empower individuals across borders while acknowledging national sovereignty.
Final note: the beginning of crucial discussions on Digital Identity
Going forward, this whitepaper signals the beginning and continuation of crucial discussions on digital identity, both domestically and globally, focused on achieving global interoperability across national systems.