The SSI Sweep: #SSII2019 takes on IIW

October 4, 2019
vol. 12

SSI Incubator takes on IIW

The Self-Sovereign Identity Incubator was one of the 300+ attendees at the Internet Identity Workshop (IIW) at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View this past week. It was an incredible experience for the five startups in our Fall 2019 cohort to be able to demo, lead sessions, and make important connections with so many digital identity experts.

Photos (from left to right): SSI Incubator teams introduce themselves on the first day; HearRo demos its product; Domi proposes session discussion; SSI Incubator attends Women's Breakfast; Spaceman ID demos its product; Xertify demos its product; Spaceman ID proposes session discussion.

Hot off the press

PayPal drops out of Facebook’s Libra payments network: PayPal backs out as one of the 28 founding members of the Libra Association after backlash from U.S. and European government officials.
It’s here, the new uPort logo!: uPort launched its new logo and website this past week reflecting its growth and maturation as a platform.
Introducing Hyperledger Avalon: Hyperledger just announced its newest project Hyperledger Avalon—an open source project that "enables the secure movement of blockchain processing off the main chain to dedicated computing resources."
R3 becomes a Steward of the global Sovrin Network: Enterprise blockchain leader R3 backs self-sovereign identity and the mission of the Sovrin Foundation to provide digital Identity for All by becoming a Steward of the Sovrin Network.
Big expansion for global identity network as five new organizations join Sovrin Network as Stewards: The newest Sovrin Stewards are the Institute for Internet-Security at the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, Keyless, R3, Snapper Future Tech, and Streetcred ID.

Deep dives

Responsible digital ID: Effects of data governance policies and practices on human rights: "National DID systems hold great promise to support an equitable and thriving society, but only if these systems are built on human rights-driven data governance policies and practices." —The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) Policy Lab
Worldwide semiannual blockchain spending guide: "IDC's Worldwide Blockchain Spending Guide provides guidance on the expected technology opportunity around this market at a regional and total worldwide level." —International Data Corporation (IDC)

Must reads

A turning point in aviation's identity and data management: "My point is that the current processes used during travel are clearly very similar to self-sovereign identity." —SITA, Oct. 3, 2019
Open questions on good ID: When should digital ID be avoided?: "Shared tools could help local decision-makers rapidly and objectively identify high-risk situations that need immediate and careful attention as well as to provide a catalog of thoughtful Good ID remedies they can adapt and propose in their country." —Omidyar Network, Oct. 3, 2019
Principles for self-sovereign biometrics planned at Internet Identity Workshop: "The six principles are that in a self-sovereign system: biometric data should be decentralized; biometric data should never be stored on a blockchain; biometric data can be accessed via a blockchain; biometric data should be under a user’s control; biometric traits should be reliable, and; biometrics should be part of a systematic procedure." —BiometricUpdate.com, Oct. 3, 2019
Quick SSI integration for identity and access management with IdRamp: "Forward-thinking businesses that adopt decentralized SSI, will be the ones that find a cost-effective way to protect assets and eliminate password vulnerabilities and centralized data liability. Decentralized SSI will help businesses move away from legacy IAM systems with less cost and complexity than prior generations." —Sovrin Foundation, Sept. 30, 2019

Hear it from the experts

Kiva protocol: Building the credit bureau of the future using SSI: "Alan Krassowski, VP of Technology & Blockchain at Kiva, will explain how the Kiva Protocol team is leveraging self-sovereign identity (SSI) and related technologies to develop identity and credit solutions for traditionally underserved populations, starting with an implementation in concert with Sierra Leone’s government and banking systems, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)." —SSI Meetup Webinar
Building a business around digital identity in education, from a Colombian perspective: "Being aware of digital identity in the world and knowing Colombia is not part of it, we created Xertify to meet this goal, a company that issues digital credentials for students." —Sebastián Farfán Sepúlveda, Operations Manager, Xertify
A tour of Blockstack’s decentralized computing network with Aaron Blankstein: "We learn about Blockstack’s incentive system, and what will be changing from v1 to v2. We discuss a few use cases of Blockstack, like the Blockstack Naming Service, or BNS. We also go over Blockstack’s smart contract language Clarity, and the broad tooling that will exist for developers working on the platform." —QuantLayer Podcast
Self-sovereign is not self-asserted: "From time to time, I run across the idea that self-sovereign identity (SSI) systems like Sovrin are necessarily self-asserted. This is the myth: that SSI means that the person gets to say anything they want and the relying party just has to accept it. This is NOT what SSI means." —Phil Windley, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Sovrin Foundation
Building blocks for a new architecture: "What would we need in a digital infrastructure so that I could trust it, but not trust it?" —Tim Bouma

A call for mentors and sponsors

There are multiple opportunities to participate in the SSI Incubator including:

Volunteer as a business/technical mentor to guide a SSI-based startup through its early development stages. The 12-week incubator is designed to get the incubator participants ready to present for the SSI Demo Day—the culminating event where they will showcase their SSI solution to a room full of investors. The SSI Incubator is looking for mentors who will share their expertise with the world's most-promising emerging early-stage SSI companies.
Become an SSI Incubator sponsor. The SSI Incubator is hosting a number of digital identity events in San Francisco this Fall and Winter including a SSI Demo Day in December. By becoming a sponsor of the SSI Incubator, you will be recognized as an advocate for SSI adoption and innovation among industry leaders.

Please contact info@ssiincubator.com to volunteer as a SSI Incubator mentor or sponsor.