A First Look at Identity Management Schemes on the Blockchain

The emergence of distributed ledger technology (DLT) based on a blockchain data structure has given rise to new approaches to identity management that aim to upend dominant approaches to providing and consuming digital identities. These new approaches to identity management (IdM) propose to enhance de-centralization, transparency, and user control in transactions that involve identity information; however, given the historical challenge to design IdM, can these new DLT-based schemes deliver on their lofty goals? We introduce the emerging landscape of DLT-based IdM and evaluate three representative proposals—uPort, ShoCard, and Sovrin—using the analytic lens of a seminal framework that characterizes the nature of successful IdM schemes.