The 12 Principles of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)
1. Representation
Digital identity is not one thing, there should never be a “universal” digital identity, rather identity is made up of a collection of identities. It’s important to therefore operate within an eco-system that is open and encourages other digital identities to be issued to end user.
2. Interoperability
An SSI ecosystem shall enable digital identity data for an entity to be represented, exchanged, secured, protected, and verified interoperably using open, public, and royalty-free standards.
3. Decentralization
An SSI ecosystem shall not require reliance on a centralized system to represent, control, or verify an entity’s digital identity data.
4. Control & Agency
An SSI ecosystem shall empower entities who have natural, human, or legal rights in relation to their identity (“Identity Rights Holders”) to control usage of their digital identity data and exert this control by employing and/or delegating to agents and guardians of their choice, including individuals, organizations, devices, and software.
5. Participation
An SSI ecosystem shall not require an identity rights holder to participate.
6. Equity and Inclusion
An SSI ecosystem shall not exclude or discriminate against identity rights holders within its governance scope.
7. Usability, Accessibility, and Consistency
An SSI ecosystem shall maximize usability and accessibility of agents and other SSI components for identity rights holders, including consistency of user experience.
8. Portability
An SSI ecosystem shall not restrict the ability of identity rights holders to move or transfer a copy of their digital identity data to the agents or systems of their choice.
9. Security
An SSI ecosystem shall empower identity rights holders to secure their digital identity data at rest and in motion, to control their own identifiers and encryption keys, and to employ end-to-end encryption for all interactions.
10. Verifiability and Authenticity
An SSI ecosystem shall empower identity rights holders to provide verifiable proof of the authenticity of their digital identity data.
11. Privacy and Minimal Disclosure
An SSI ecosystem shall empower identity rights holders to protect the privacy of their digital identity data and to share the minimum digital identity data required for any particular interaction.
12. Transparency
An SSI ecosystem shall empower identity rights holders and all other stakeholders to easily access and verify information necessary to understand the incentives, rules, policies, and algorithms under which agents and other components of SSI ecosystems operate
