Sita becomes Premier Donor of Sovrin Foundation to boost self-sovereign identity adoption

Sita has doubled down on the Sovrin Foundation, becoming a Premier Donor to the international non-profit focused on advancing self-sovereign digital identity.

Self-sovereign identity (SSI) is defined as a lifetime, portable, and decentralized identity for any person, organization, or thing that allows the holder to share verifiable credentials in a way that preserves privacy.

Sita says its expanded role will be key to accelerating the adoption of privacy-protecting digital identity by governments, airlines and airports around the world. The company’s Smart Path solution, recently piloted by Malysia Airlines, leverages a single biometric token to streamline all departure processes, with the travellers face used instead of identity documents for various checks.

“We expect in the coming years that the development of a universally accepted digital identity will replace the traditional passport. This will allow travel across borders with any airline or airport while ensuring that you, as the passenger, remain in full control of your identity while providing actionable, trusted data only to appropriate parties such as border agencies,” says Sita Lab Director Gustavo Pina.

“The benefits include a reduced arrivals infrastructure, providing new opportunities to increase existing airport throughput by design and not expansion. Our work with the Sovrin Foundation will play an important role in unlocking that potential.”

The new position for Sita, which joined the Sovrin Foundation as Founding Steward in 2018, involves a more active role.

“SITA continues to lead the discussion around the adoption of self-sovereign identity in the travel industry,” comments Sovrin Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Phil Windley. “The Sovrin Foundation provides the ideal forum to drive this agenda forward both with the fellow Sovrin Foundation members across the wider economic spectrum but also with key stakeholders in the air transport industry such as IATA, ICAO and Airport Council International.”

Windley is also a founder and organizer of the Internet Identity Workshop, a semi-annual un-conference where biometrics are increasingly discussed.

According to the announcement, self-sovereign identity could help lower financial transaction costs, protect personal information, reduce cybercrime opportunities, and simplify identity challenge in travel, healthcare, banking, IoT, and voter fraud.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  decentralized ID  |  digital identity  |  partnership  |  self-sovereign identity  |  SITA  |  Sovrin Foundation  |  verifiable credentials