Argentina has planned to integrate blockchain-based QuarkID for citizen ID, ensuring high security, trust, and decentralisation in data management and verification.
Argentina will create an immutable citizen ID integrating a blockchain-based system with QuarkID. Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, is edging closer to this integration which will unleash the benefits of blockchain technology around high security, immutability, greater trust, and decentralisation.
It is a requirement for most countries to implement a national interoperable identification system, which takes an infrastructure approach to linking up all the data. This approach has been undertaken already in connecting Ethereum, Polygon, and Rootstock to the project for autonomous digital identity.
Augmented citizen verification and data integrity
Through Ethereum’s blockchain, the government will be able to ensure a reliable verification based on the decentralised model. Leveraging the immutability of distributed ledgers and cryptography from these providers will surpass trust for verification and data management.
QuarkID is a new protocol for Digital Identity and Self-Sovereign which is engaging collaborators including the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, the municipalities of Vicente López and Luján de Cuyo, as well as system providers. Collectively, collaborators will focus their due diligence on the issuance of citizen ID, transparent registration, verification, and integrity of data stored on a chosen network.
Ongoing discussions on trusted digital identities
In an interview for The Paypers, Nick Mothershaw, Chief Identity Strategist at OIX, delved into the realm of trusted identities, emphasising the importance of universally trusted IDs in facilitating secure digital transactions globally. OIX’s vision involves creating a community for stakeholders across sectors to collaborate on establishing trust frameworks governing digital ID ecosystems. These frameworks aim to ensure secure and efficient transactions while protecting user privacy, as outlined in their Guide to Trust Frameworks for Smart Digital ID.
Regarding the role of governments in providing digital wallets, OIX recommends against governments issuing their own wallets to citizens due to cost, complexity, and privacy concerns. Instead, OIX advocates for governments to focus on creating trust frameworks for private-sector-provided wallets. These frameworks would enable certified private-sector wallets to securely hold government credentials, ensuring compliance with government-defined standards while maintaining user privacy and fostering innovation in the private sector.
Digital wallets are seen as crucial for digital ID adoption, streamlining the process of proving identity and eligibility for various activities. OIX envisions ‘smart’ digital ID wallets capable of interpreting complex rules across different organisations and jurisdictions, facilitating seamless interoperability and global adoption. Collaboration between governments and tech giants like Google and Apple, subject to government trust frameworks, is proposed to ensure secure storage and presentation of government credentials in private-sector-provided wallets. This approach aims to balance government involvement with citizen privacy, fostering trust and innovation in the digital ID ecosystem.