Kenyans’ efforts to improve digital ID prominent among Good ID Awards

The Good ID Awards for 2021 have been announced, with four winners in each Accountability, Inclusion, Privacy and Security. The awards recognize people and companies who have completed progressive and impactful work to improve digital identity for all. People and organizations based in or focused on Kenya took three of the top prizes and a runner-up recognition.

Accountable digital identity prioritizes transparency, oversight, and engagement with public and civil society groups, according to the coalition group. This year’s Accountability winner was Grace Mutung’u, a research fellow at The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT), a part of Strathmore Law School in Kenya. Runners up included ​​Keren Weitzberg, a tech and migration researcher at UCL and Phelix Lore, executive director at the Haki Centre.

Inclusive digital identity champions fairness, diversity, and accessible products and services. Mustafa Mahmoud Yousif, senior program manager for Citizenship at Namati won the Inclusivity category. Namati is a non-profit organization which convenes the Legal Empowerment Network. The runner up was PurpleCode Collective a cross-border feminist collective founded in 2015 that focuses on the intersection of human rights, gender and technology.

Privacy-conscious digital identity ensures data protection, transparent data policies, and a user-centric approach. The Privacy winner again was CIPIT whose work includes evidence-based research and training in intellectual property and innovation, digital identities, artificial intelligence, cyber law and policy, and data governance. The runner up was Tom Fisher, senior researcher at Privacy International.

Secure digital identity safeguards users, defends against malicious actors, and offers services that the public can trust. The Good Health Pass Collaborative won the Security category, as a global collaboration of organizations who develop a blueprint for privacy protecting, user-controlled, and universally accepted digital health credentials. The runner up was Gravity, an ID2020-certified digital ID solution accelerating the financial inclusion and empowerment of all people, anywhere in the world.

CIPIT’s Mutung’u and Privacy International were last year’s runners-up in the Accountability and Privacy categories, respectively, setting up a pair of awards this year.

Article Topics

awards  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  Good ID  |  privacy