A Blockchain Ecosystem for Digital Identity: Improving Service Delivery in Canada’s Public and Private Sectors

• Main Author: Greg Wolfond
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Carleton University 2017-10-01
• Series: Technology Innovation Management Review
• Subjects: blockchain; consumer privacy; cybersecurity; digital assets; digital attributes; digital identity; identity fraud; identity verification; online privacy; online security
• Online Access: http://timreview.ca/article/1112

Blockchain-based solutions have the potential to make government operations more efficient and improve the delivery of services in the public and private sectors. Identity verification and authentication technologies, as one of the applications of blockchain-based solutions – and the focus of our own efforts at SecureKey Technologies – have been critical components in service delivery in both sectors due to their power to increase trust between citizens and the services they access. To convert trust into solid value added, identities must be validated through highly-reliable technologies, such as blockchain, that have the capacity to reduce cost and fraud and to simplify the experience for customers while also keeping out the bad actors. With identities migrating to digital platforms, organizations and citizens need to be able to transact with reduced friction even as more counter-bound services move to online delivery. In this article, drawing on our own experiences with an ecosystem approach to digital identity, we describe the potential value of using blockchain technology to address the present and future challenges of identity verification and authentication within a Canadian context.