06 - Wallets and protocols

(individual)

What will potentially change with respect to our current way of delivering value in general?

And what will change with a particular view to our ecosystem? Include a critical review of our existing ecosystem services and the nature of potential impact on them.

• The GÉANT community moved in uncharted territory when setting up identity federations. This no longer holds true and we can no longer do things just our way. We have to position ourselves, defend this position and find appropriate partners. This is new.

Describe use cases in our ecosystem that could potentially benefit from an emerging DI ecosystem

Describe assumptions / requirements towards other players / outcomes etc. to make it deliver value to our ecosystem

Describe actions we need to fulfil as a community (ecosystem) to get such value delivered to our ecosystem

Might this make it easier for NRENs to participate in the ecosystem with less effort?

• There might be elements in this emerging wallet ecosystem we just can re-use and no longer have to organise ourselves
• The wallet ecosystem might enable us to carry our services to a wider audience, e.g. by linking them to other ecosystems

Describe potential situations or actions of other important stakeholders leading to a failure to deliver value to our ecosystem

This could be linked to external developments but also to our inability to fulfil above actions or to get consensus in our own ecosystem

• There are many different type of wallets in various areas. But the major risky could be these
  • EUDI
  • Opensource wallet (every opensource one attracts trust)
  • Competing companies
    • GAFAM wallet like Amazon, Google pay, Apple pay
    • Device default wallet like Samsung wallet connected to google account
• Security Breaches: One of the primary risks is the potential for security breaches. If your digital ID wallet is compromised, an attacker may gain access to sensitive personal information, such as your driver’s license, passport, or other forms of identification.
• Identity Theft: If a malicious actor gains access to your digital ID wallet, they could use your identity to commit various forms of fraud and identity theft. This could have serious consequences for your financial and personal well-being.
• Data Privacy Concerns: Storing personal identification documents and data in a digital ID wallet means that this information is potentially accessible to service providers and the wallet provider itself. Users must trust these entities to protect their data adequately.
• Loss of Device: If you lose your mobile device or the device containing your digital ID wallet is stolen, there’s a risk that the thief could misuse your digital ID and access your accounts or impersonate you.
• Biometric Data Vulnerabilities: Many digital ID wallets use biometric authentication methods, such as fingerprint or facial recognition. These can be vulnerable to spoofing or hacking if not properly secured.
• Phishing and Social Engineering: Attackers may attempt to trick you into revealing your digital ID wallet credentials through phishing emails, fake websites, or social engineering attacks.
• Incompatibility and Interoperability Issues: Different regions and organizations may use different standards and technologies for digital ID. Compatibility issues could arise if your digital ID wallet is not accepted or recognized by certain entities.
• Regulatory and Legal Issues: The legal framework around digital ID is still evolving in many places. There may be regulatory changes or legal disputes that impact the use and security of digital ID wallets.
• Dependency on Technology: Relying on a digital ID wallet means that you’re dependent on technology and the infrastructure that supports it. Technical issues, outages, or system failures could temporarily prevent you from accessing your digital ID.[4]
• Technical Problems: Technical issues, such as system failures or connectivity issues, can prevent users from accessing their digital wallet accounts, making payments and accessing funds difficult.
• Limited Acceptance: Because digital wallets are not accepted everywhere, users may encounter situations in which they are unable to make payments using their digital wallets.
• Hidden fees: Some digital wallets may charge hidden fees, such as transaction fees, foreign exchange fees, or account maintenance fees. Users should review their digital wallet provider's fee schedule to ensure they understand the charges associated with using the platform. [5]
• No insurance by misusing or mistake. It is more related to currency wallet but for identity there such shortage too. 

Describe (crowdsourced within our group) prior or ongoing activities in our ecosystem relevant to the topic at hand by NRENs and GÉANT

• European Initiatives/projects:
  • VC4EU (EU Large Scale Project)
  • EBSI Wave 3
• Interregional/global initiatives/projects:
  • VC-EDU (lead by MIT, global scope)
• National initiatives/projects:
  • DE: IDunion
  • CH: DIDAS

Recommendations towards NRENs (and their community), GÉANT and "the research community"

• elaborate a position towards the wallet ecosystem and derive actions towards achieving or maintaining this positioning