Billion Identities
User-centric identity ecosystem designed with privacy, fail safes and mechanisms to protect and empower populations in developing countries.
The solution provides the basic building blocks for an identity ecosystem and revolves around an individual being in charge of their identity.
The design is captured in a whitepaper and reference implementation is available as an open source framework on github.
Securing individual identities would be the first in a series of steps towards empowerment of populations in developing societies.
Solution provides mechanisms to create digital keys that can be encoded on physical media (plastic cards etc). The keys reside with an individual and would enable them to make various claims about their identity with third parties.
The keys would also allow them to manage various identity artifacts and operations related to those artifacts.
- Prototype
The solution caters to the entire spectrum of users, from low literacy users to crypto-savvy individuals.
It provides the design for an identity ecosystem for socio-economic user empowerment.
The whitepaper and API documentation details a number of concepts
1. 100% precision of user lookup
2. Innovative domain model for privacy
3. Indirection of user identifiers
4. Dynamic merkle trees
5. Digital signatures and tokens
6. Generic data structures
7. APIs
8. Query expressions
9. Zero-knowledge proofs
The design incorporates
1. Randomized unique identity numbers
Scalability is incorporated into user identitifiers
2. Indirection of user identifiers
User Identifiers can be replaced if they are lost or stolen
3. Tokenization
Digitally signed tokens for temporary access to fragments of identity information.
4. Personal encryption keys
a) Crypto-savvy individuals can provide/replace their keys
b) Unique keys are generated for other individuals
5. Personal Auditability
Identity owners have visibility of operations on their identity artifacts
6. Offline authentication
Offline mechanism for authentication using blockchains without PII
7. Zero-knowledge proof
Mechanism for users to prove claims to verifiers without providing
personal details
The open source reference implementation includes both server (API) side code and client libraries.
The server side code can be built and deployed to function as an information hub.
Existing digital identification systems can push/pull information to/from the hub via the APIs using the client libraries.
The solution has flexible and pluggable authentication mechanisms to cater to the entire spectrum of users in developing countries.
The end user can authenticate using physical artifacts (plastic cards etc) or other digital mechanisms (public key encryption, etc).
The open source reference implementation is REST API based and can be easily integrated with other systems.
The data format is JSON and binary and the platform serves as a store for well formed JSON and binary artifacts (pdf, images, docs).
Individuals with low literacy and numeracy can authenticate using plastic cards (or other physical media)/PIN and optional biometrics (fingerprints).
For low connectivity environments authentication works in an offline manner.
Step 1: Download area specific blockchain of hashed user identifiers and additional info when connectivity is available
Step 2: Client side application works in an offline manner using the blockchain for authentication and validation of users
PII is not stored on the blockchain
From a technology perspective the solution is comprised of multiple components that can evolve, are scalable and programming language agnostic via APIs.
Financial sustainability would depend on financial support by stakeholders (in the beginning).
The solution is not a "one size fits all" approach but provides the building blocks for end user friendly diverse authentication mechanisms with "privacy by design" as a core function.
Principal-agent proposals like micro-payments and other transaction flows would make it sustainable over the next 3 to 5 years.
- United Kingdom
- Not Registered as Any Organization
- Other (Please explain below)
- 1-5
- Less than 1 year
Not currently working with any organizations.
- Software development
- Project management
Possible revenue models
- non-profit software foundation
- crowd funding
- seed funding
by putting forward a number of principal-agent project proposals for socio-economic growth of developing societies.
- Micropayments using crypto-currencies (without mining or transaction costs)
- Direct Aid on blockchain
Social good.
N/A
- Funding for sustainable software development
- Sample population for testing
- Support from stakeholders
Funding
Crowd funding the project by putting forward a number of principal-agent project proposals for socio-economic growth of developing societies.
Micropayments using crypto-currencies (without mining or transaction costs), direct aid etc.
Sample population and Stakeholder support
We would need to connect with stakeholders interested in providing services to vulnerable populations.