National Electronic Identity Management: The Challenge of a citizen-centric Approach beyond Technical Design (original) (raw)
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User-centric identity management: An oxymoron or the key to getting identity management right?
2010
There are many drivers for strengthening identity management (IdM) in the digital environment. They include: countering identity fraud, identity theft or identity takeover, border control and traveler identification; individual convenience; or better customer service for individuals. A range of approaches are being considered in the public and private sector. Experience is showing that IdM succeeds best where it builds in two way trust and is not perceived by users as yet another policing action. The challenge is even greater if individuals believe that IdM will put all the powers and discretions in the hands of the institution to collect more personal information which is then linked, used, or disclosed. For IdM, the key to success is increasingly to understand and design with individual interests, as well as government or organisation interests, in mind. This paper looks at the concept of user-centric IdM and suggests some defining features. It will draw on experience and developments in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia to highlight issues that may help or hinder the delivery of effective user centric IdM. These include choices about centralised versus distributed identity, the impact of each country's culture and history, the approach taken to risk allocation and the importance of keeping agendas simple and transparent. Recognition of the importance of these issues is gathering pace. It has moved from the realm of the advocate, through academia and into mainstream, commercial development, even to the point of creating a unique effort at building interoperable ID management systems that respect user centric principles. User centric IdM is possible with the right mix of individual control, fair risk allocation and accountability.
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 2016
Identity Management systems are used for securing digital identity of users in reliable, automated and compatible way. Service providers employ identity management systems which are cost effective and scalable but cause poor usability for users. Identity management systems are user-centric applications which should be designed by considering users' perspective. User centricity is a remarkable concept in identity management systems as it provides more powerful user control and privacy. This approach has been evolved from amending past paradigms. Thus, evaluation of digital identity management systems based on users' point of view, is really important. The main objective of this paper is to identify the appropriateness of the criteria used in evaluation of user-centric digital identity management systems. These criteria are gathered from the literature and then categorized into four groups for the first time in this work to examine the importance of each parameter. In this approach, several interviews were performed as a qualitative research method and two questionnaires have been filled out by forty six users who were involved with identity management systems. Since the answers are perception based data the most important criteria in each category are assessed by using fuzzy method. This research found that the most important criteria are related to security category. The results of this research can provide valuable information for managers and decision makers of hosting companies as well as system designers to adapt and develop appropriate user-centric digital identity management systems.
This paper investigates the management of developing electronic identification (e-ID) within a public e-service context. e-ID is an important key enabler for secure identification, authentication and digital signing via the Internet and a part of e-service design. As users, and citizens, we become reliant on electronic solutions that give us a certain level of utility and trust, and use e-ID solutions to interact with local and central government in an e-service context. The management of e-ID development in a national context is the case in focus for investigation. Such development initiatives, and especially inter-organizational projects, face a number of challenges. Therefore it is a need for a more thorough understanding of e-ID development within a public e-service context. The purpose is to analyse the contemporary management of e-ID development in Sweden from: a) an e-government systems development life-cycle perspective and b) a project challenge and critical success factor ...
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012
This article addresses the development of electronic identification (eID) for public e-services and reports from an empirical study of young Swedish university students' attitudes towards eID. A public e-service at the Swedish Board for Study Support which demanded secure electronic identification was focused. Our findings from three focus groups show that usability and security are two main themes that the respondents found to be important in order to trust eID and e-services. This example of how citizens' attitudes towards eID can be explored in focus groups is related to an on-going national development process of a new eID solution on a strategic and artifact level. In this process no citizens are participating or involved so far. Potential risks with neglecting citizen attitudes in such processes, in a longer perspective, are decreased usage of public e-services and lack of trust in e-government. This article shows that citizens' attitudes can serve as important additional input to the development of eID solutions that supports successful e-government.
Knowing me, knowing you: end user perceptions of identity management systems
2006
Abstract Federated identity management systems synthesise complex and fragmented user information into a single entity. Literature from the identity management system providers note this integration extends many benefits to the end user and the privileges provided by digital identity authentication schemes have been well documented from this perspective. Less explored however, are the perceptions of federation from the user's perspective.
Security and Privacy Perceptions of E-ID: A Grounded Research
2008
This paper reports on research in progress that explores the perceptions of security and privacy of UK citizens regarding electronic identity cards. In the wake of the UK National Identity Scheme proposals and with the introduction of electronic identity cards in the coming years, it is important to understand the perspectives of UK citizens. The Scheme sparked furious public debate, but as yet public opinion on the issues has not been researched systematically. Following grounded theory methods of open-coding content analysis, the findings present an empirically-grounded framework depicting the prevailing perceptions held by UK citizens. Four high-level constructs and a set of sub-categories constitute the framework that emerged: Public authorities (Competence and Integrity), Personal privacy principles (Risk/Benefit Balance, Citizen Control and A priori Anti-ID card), Legal and regulatory, and, Systems and technology. Rather than simply indicating whether citizens were 'for' or 'against' eID, the findings from the analysis uncover the reasons behind citizens' attitudes, whether positive, ambivalent or negative, and testify to the diversity of issues and concerns preoccupying them. Preliminary implications are drawn from the findings, specifically as regards the management of information and identity risk to UK citizens brought about by new identity management systems. Further directions for development of this research in progress are signposted.
1 A Survey on EU Citizen’s Trust in ID Systems and Authorities
2015
This research addresses the social aspects associated with sharing data, especially personal information, in respect of plans for interoperable European electronic ID systems. The paper reports on a survey which was designed to investigate EU citizens ’ perceptions and attitudes towards issues involved in making eIDs interoperable. The construction of the survey drew from an underlying conceptual framework of institutional trust. A web-based survey was translated into 8 European languages and was made available online over a period of one month in June 2006. Overall there were 1,906 valid responses to the survey with respondents from 23 out of the 25 EU countries. A limitation of the survey was, however, that the response rate from some countries was very low. In this respect, the survey cannot be said to be fully representative of all European citizens. Findings arising from the analysis of the survey point to an overall negative perception of the ID authorities by EU citizens. The...
Conducting a Usability Evaluation of Decentralized Identity Management Solutions
Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden eBooks, 2022
New approaches to identity management based on technologies such as blockchain and distributed ledgers are promoted as a chance to give users full control over their own identity data. Despite being often called the future of digital identity management, Decentralized Identity Management (DIdM) and Selfsovereign Identities (SSI) are still facing a number of challenges, usability being a major one: their concepts are too sophisticated for users and do not fit their mental models. We address this by conducting a study that analyses and evaluates the usability and practical applicability of some of the most advanced DIdM solutions. The results of the user tests reveal existing usability issues and outline the way they deprive end users of experiencing the entire range of claimed privacy and security benefits of these identity solutions.
2007
This paper reports on the research experience gained by carrying out an evaluation for a cross-border identity management system to support e-procurement. This evaluation, which took place in the context of an international research project in the European Union, brought together multiple players. The nature and diversity of the stakeholder involved, and the complexity of the systems under evaluation (in particular their social rather than technical complexity) called for a qualitative evaluation approach. Our investigation provided some interesting insights. On the one hand, these concern the challenges of working in an international project team in the context of a research project. The scope of the project, which essentially aimed at supporting public administrations in diverse national contexts in Europe, adds to complexity as the involvement of public bodies in the trials brings to the fore the political agendas of different parties and member states. On the other hand, equally interesting are the opportunities, the benefits and impediments for cross-border digital identity management across European countries as perceived by the stakeholders involved. These findings have, of course, practical implications for the success of the implementation of e-government systems but also implications for the research agenda in e-government.