In the heart of Vienna, Austria, Dominik Beron is reshaping the landscape of digital identity. For the past few years, he’s been immersed in the world of Decentralized Identity (DID), especially since 2021 when emerging standards and regulations began shaping the landscape. He saw a unique opportunity to create an open-source company dedicated to simplifying the adoption of decentralized identity for organizations. This vision led to the founding of Walt ID.
Dominik’s legal education, blockchain strategy courses, and social impact studies form the foundation for his work in decentralized identity. His academic progress and diverse international exposure equip him to navigate the complex intersections of technology, law, and social impact at Walt ID.
Dominik’s commitment in this area, led Walt ID to participate in the NGI Sargasso’s Open call with INTEROP4DID – Interoperable Decentralized Identity and Wallet Infrastructure – project. This project, focusing on Interoperable Decentralized Identity and Wallet Infrastructure, aligns perfectly with NGI’s vision of building a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable internet. In this interview for NGI, Dominik explains what Decentralized Identity is and how INTEROP4DID contributes to the NGI vision.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL IDENTITY
The internet’s lack of a native identity layer is a significant unresolved problem. This deficiency is becoming increasingly problematic, especially with advancements in generative AI and other technologies. Secure, trustworthy, and meaningful digital interactions hinge on solving digital identity. This belief fuels our mission at Walt ID.
WHAT IS INTEROP4DID – INTEROPERABLE DECENTRALIZED IDENTITY AND WALLET INFRASTRUCTURE?
This project enables holistic interoperability (tech, semantic, legal, governance) between different decentralized ID technologies and ecosystems with a focus on Europe and Canada. The results will be open-source libraries and contributions to alignment on standards, semantics, legal and governance topics.
EMPHASIZING INTEROPERABILITY
Interoperability is a cornerstone of our industry. We’ve participated in numerous interoperability festivals and events to showcase our compatibility with other vendors. Recognizing the importance of collaboration, especially between different regions, we’ve focused on ensuring our solutions work seamlessly across borders.
Europe and Canada have been exploring collaboration on decentralized identity for a while. Our project aimed to demonstrate interoperability with a Canadian vendor, setting a standard for cross-continental identity ecosystems. This initiative not only facilitates standardization but also offers a blueprint for future collaborations.
EXPANDING HORIZONS WITH NGI SARGASSO
Before applying for the Next Generation Internet (NGI) grant, we had already engaged in various interoperability projects globally. However, partnering with a Canadian organization was a new venture. This partnership with Affinity Quest was pivotal. It allowed us to extend our work into a rapidly evolving region for decentralized identity, showcasing our ability to adapt and innovate.
Our collaboration with Affinity Quest has been incredibly fruitful. Together, we’ve refined standards, defined interoperability profiles, and developed concrete use cases. This process highlighted the necessity for interoperability between different identity ecosystems, which often operate under distinct legal and jurisdictional frameworks.
BRIDGING EUROPE AND CANADA
As the world becomes more interconnected, it’s crucial to ensure that identity ecosystems across different regions can work together. Europe and Canada, despite their collaborative history, will inevitably develop distinct rules for establishing trust. Our project aimed to bridge this gap, enabling seamless digital interactions for global citizens and businesses.
Throughout the project, we developed various use cases, from travel and visa applications to tax refunds, e-commerce, and hospitality. These use cases demonstrated the practical benefits of interoperability, proving that our solutions can facilitate diverse and essential digital interactions.
LOOKING AHEAD
As we conclude this project, we are committed to continuing our work on interoperability and standards. We’re involved in several large-scale pilots in Europe and will maintain our collaboration with Affinity Quest. This ongoing effort will further cement the importance of decentralized identity and its role in the future of digital interactions.
ENCOURAGING INNOVATION THROUGH FUNDING
Funding schemes like the NGI grants are invaluable for small organizations and startups. They provide the necessary resources to innovate and grow. In our case, the NGI Sargasso grant enabled us to partner with Affinity Quest and explore new horizons. The support from mentors and the additional resources provided through webinars and sessions were instrumental in our project’s success.
THE FUTURE OF DECENTRALIZED IDENTITY
The future of digital identity will be shaped by collaborative efforts between policymakers, vendors, and innovators. Europe is already setting the stage with initiatives like the I.S.2 regulation. It would be beneficial for Canadian and European policymakers to align their priorities and support the development of pilots and use cases that ensure interoperability.
At Walt ID, we envision a future where decentralized identity is the norm. We aim to be a leading company in this space, enabling widespread adoption of this transformative paradigm. With continued collaboration and innovation, we are confident that decentralized identity will redefine digital interactions in the next 5 to 10 years.