Disposable identities; enabling trust-by-design to build more sustainable data driven value

Abstract

This article introduces a working definition of Disposable Identities, alongside reference use cases and an exploration of possible technical approaches. The Disposable Identities enable developers of mobile or web applications to employ a novel self-sovereign identity and data privacy framework, aimed primarily at rebuilding trust in digital services by providing greater transparency, decentralized identity and data control, with integrated General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance mechanisms. With a user interface enabling the management of multiple self sovereign identities, privacy consents, digital authorizations, and associated data driven transactions, the additional advantage of Disposable Identities is that they may also contain verifiable data such as the owner’s photograph, official or even biometric identifiers for more proactive prevention of identity abuse. Disposable Identities are designed for advanced decentralized privacy agreements, which can also be time, purpose and context bound through a secure digital contract; with verification functionalities based on tamper-proof technologies.