User Data Management with Device-Signed Verifiable Credentials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems require users to share personally-identifiable information at multiple points during travel, leading to inefficiencies and security risks due to the need for physical document verification and centralized data management.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized system for managing user data using verifiable credentials, where user data is validated by a trusted entity, stored on a user device, and shared securely among trusted entities without the need for repeated physical document presentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users present physical documents at multiple verification points, then identity verification can be performed, but time consumption increases and security risks arise from repeated handling of personal data
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs identity verification in advance by issuing digital credentials that contain verified identity information. Users undergo verification once at the point of credential issuance, and the results are stored digitally for future presentations, eliminating repeated verification processes at subsequent checkpoints.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of identity information in the form of verifiable credentials. Instead of handling physical documents repeatedly, the system uses digital representations that can be copied and presented electronically, reducing physical document handling time while maintaining verification reliability.
2Reliability
If physical documents are repeatedly presented and verified, then identity can be confirmed, but security risks increase due to unauthorized access and data leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical process of physical document handling and manual verification with an electronic system based on cryptographic verification. Digital credentials use cryptographic signatures and verification mechanisms that eliminate the need for physical document exchange, thereby reducing security risks associated with document handling and data leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a trusted intermediary layer through verifiable credentials that mediate between the user's identity and the verification system. The credentials act as a secure intermediary that proves identity without exposing raw personal data, reducing security risks while maintaining verification reliability.
3Measurement precision
If each entity validates physical documents independently, then verification accuracy can be maintained, but system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the verification function into a single credential issuance process. Instead of multiple entities independently validating documents, the verification function is combined and performed once during credential issuance, with the results embedded in the digital credential. This maintains verification accuracy while dramatically improving system efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The verifiable credential serves multiple verification purposes across different entities and contexts. A single credential can be used for various types of verification (identity, age, authorization levels) across multiple entities, eliminating the need for each entity to perform independent validation while maintaining verification accuracy through cryptographic proof.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method is described for managing data of a user, the method comprising performing an issuing process and performing a verification process. The issuing process includes sending an image of a document issued by a first entity to a second entity that is included in a group of trusted entities, the document comprising data of a user, and validating, by the second entity, the user data using the image. A verifiable credential is generated based on the user data and receiving at a user device. A signed verifiable credential is created at the user device using the received verifiable credential. A public key corresponding to the verifiable credential is pushed to a data store that is accessible by the group of trusted entities, and the signed verifiable credential is encrypted and stored at the user device. The verification process includes receiving a request to access the user data from a third entity that is included in the group of trusted entities. The encrypted and signed verifiable credential stored at the user device is decrypted and sent to the third entity. The public key is accessed from the data store and used to verify that the signed verifiable credential was created at the user device.