Self-Sovereign Identity in Indonesia: Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications for Public Services

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) is a decentralized digital identity model that offers individuals greater control over their personal data while reducing dependence on centralized authorities. This paper explores the potential integration of SSI into Indonesia’s Identitas Kependudukan Digital (IKD) system as part of the country’s digital transformation. The adoption of SSI presents opportunities to improve privacy, security, and efficiency in public services, particularly for marginalized communities. However, several challenges remain, including technological infrastructure gaps, regulatory ambiguities, digital literacy disparities, and interoperability with legacy systems such as e-KTP. Drawing on international SSI initiatives, this study provides a contextual analysis of Indonesia’s readiness and proposes design considerations for integrating SSI into existing infrastructure. The findings contribute to ongoing research by outlining a localized SSI adoption strategy and offering insights for policymakers, technologists, and stakeholders aiming to implement secure and inclusive digital identity systems.