Accenture is leading a "call to action" and responding with blockchain
and biometric technologies to support ID2020, a global public-private
partnership dedicated to solving the challenges of identity faced by
more than 1.1 billion people around the world.
Approximately
one-sixth of the world's population cannot participate in cultural,
political, economic and social life because they lack the most basic
information: documented proof of their existence. Establishing identity
is critical to accessing a wide range of activities, including
education, healthcare, voting, banking, mobile communications, housing,
and family and childcare benefits. The goal of ID2020 is
to make digital identity a reality through a technology-forward
approach that will leverage secure and well-established systems.
Accenture,
in partnership with Microsoft and Avanade, has developed an identity
prototype based on blockchain technology - a type of database system
that enables multiple parties to share access to the same data with an
extremely high level of confidence and security.
The
prototype, which builds on Accenture's capabilities in blockchain and
its experience developing and deploying large-scale biometric systems,
runs on Microsoft Azure, the company's cloud platform that offers global
scale, flexibility and security. The prototype is designed to empower
individuals with direct consent over who has access to their personal
information, and when to release and share data. It is a sophisticated
decentralized, or "distributed," database architecture, maintained by
multiple, trusted parties on the blockchain, eliminating the need for a
central authority. The prototype does not store any personally
identifiable information, instead tapping into existing "off-chain"
systems when the individual user grants access. Accenture and Microsoft -
founding alliance partners of ID2020 who have pledged financial and
technology resources - demonstrated the prototype today at the ID2020
Summit at the U.N.
"People
without a documented identity suffer by being excluded from modern
society," said David Treat, a managing director in Accenture's global
blockchain business. "Our prototype is personal, private and portable,
empowering individuals to access and share appropriate information when
convenient and without the worry of using or losing paper
documentation."
How it works
The
Accenture prototype is designed to interoperate with existing identity
systems so that personally identifiable information always resides "off
chain." It aligns to principles of the Decentralized Identity
Foundation, of which Microsoft is a founding member, and uses the
Enterprise Ethereum Alliance's private, or "permissioned," blockchain
protocol.
To
solve problems faced by people who lack official identities face,
Accenture will leverage its Unique Identity Service Platform to deploy a
breakthrough biometrics system that can manage fingerprints, iris and
other data. For example, the technology can provide undocumented
refugees with a steadfast personal identity record, ensuring that they
can receive assistance where and when they need it. The Accenture
Platform is the heart of the Biometric Identity Management System
currently used by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
which has enrolled more than 1.3 million refugees in 29 countries across
Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. The system is expected to support more
than 7 million refugees from 75 countries by 2020.
"We
believe that identity is one of the most important needs in
international development and an area where Microsoft and the private
sector are uniquely positioned to contribute," said Yorke Rhodes, global
business strategist at Microsoft. "We are thrilled to work with
Accenture and bring Microsoft Azure's global scale, flexibility and
security to support ID2020 and make progress on this critical societal
need."
The
prototype project was led by the multi-disciplinary team at The Dock,
Accenture's new research and incubation hub in Ireland. A team of
designers, software engineers and experts in blockchain worked to bring
the idea to life.
"This
is a great example of design and technology coming together to address
the challenges facing so many vulnerable individuals in our society
today," said Lorna Ross, group director, Accenture's Fjord Design Studio
at The Dock. "We hope that this work will galvanize efforts globally
towards a solution that guarantees the right to an identity for the
invisible everywhere."
The
ID2020 consortium brings together governments, NGOs, technologists and
experts from the public and private sectors to ensure that the best
technological innovations are implemented in ways that are scalable,
secure and sustainable. Accenture had an integral role in a similar
program, serving as a founding company and the consulting partner for
the Partnership for Refugees, providing pro bono strategic consulting,
project management and digital services. The Partnership helped more
than 50 corporations better understand refugees' needs to develop
effective responses across three impact areas: education, employment and
enablement.
"One
of our goals at Accenture is to improve how the world works and lives
by digital technologies to solve some of our most pressing challenges,"
said Marty Rodgers, who leads Accenture's work with the Partnership for
Refugees and is the global lead for Accenture's NGO practice. "ID2020 is
another example of Accenture and our partners working together to
support some of the world's most vulnerable people."