NGI Forum 2023 Unveils Insights for EBSI-CAN Project: Advancing Digital Identity and Credentials

The NGI Forum 2023, held in Brussels on the 15th of November 2023, brought together leaders, policymakers, and technologists dedicated to shaping a safer, open, and citizen-centric internet for the future. Dr Alex Grech, the Executive Director of the 3CL Foundation led a plenary session titled “Shaping Digital Identity and Credentials in the Web 4.0 Era: Empowering and Safeguarding Individuals in the Online World,” shedding light on crucial elements for the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative NGI Sargasso EBSI-CAN project led by the 3CL Foundation.

The panel discussion resonated with the European Commission’s vision, focusing on international interoperability in digital credentials, particularly in the context of the European Blockchain Partnership (EPC) and the European Digital Identity Framework. A key theme was the necessity for mutual acceptance and interoperability between jurisdictions to enable secure and privacy-preserving cross-border transactions. The European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) role in enhancing these capabilities was explored, along with challenges related to policy and jurisdictional differences.

Relevance to EBSI-CAN:

The insights from the NGI Forum underscore the EBSI-CAN project’s significance in addressing real-world challenges faced by European and Canadian citizens seeking educational qualifications across borders. The emphasis on interoperability aligns with the project’s goal of exploring the feasibility of using EBSI to enhance cross-border services and verification mechanisms for educational credentials.

The collaborative efforts between the EU and Canada parallel the cross-border collaboration pursued by EBSI-CAN. The challenges and considerations regarding digital identity, self-sovereign identity, and the role of technology in shaping cross-border interactions provide valuable context for the EBSI-CAN project’s objectives.

The NGI Forum discussion focused on the need for interoperability and international cooperation in the context of digital credentials, emphasising the challenges faced by individuals who travel and need to verify their credentials across different jurisdictions. The importance of aligning technologies and policies between Canada and the European Union (EU) to facilitate seamless cross-border transactions was articulated.

Implications for EBSI-CAN:

In the realm of the EBSI-CAN project, the NGI Forum discussions reveal compelling connections and insights. The alignment is pronounced, reflecting the core focus of EBSI-CAN to leverage the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) for the credentialing of Canadian education. The discourse mirrors the project’s primary goal — enhancing cross-border services and verification mechanisms for educational credentials, fostering a seamless exchange between European citizens in Canada and vice versa. The challenges deliberated during the forum echo the practical issues EBSI-CAN aims to tackle. The emphasis on policy-driven hurdles and the necessity of trust in accepting digital credentials aligns with the broader challenges facing EBSI-CAN, extending beyond technology to encompass policy and trust aspects in blockchain-based educational credential verification. The pivotal concept of mutual acceptance and trust in digital credentials, a focal point of the forum, seamlessly integrates with EBSI-CAN’s mission to facilitate the smooth management and sharing of educational information for EU and Canadian citizens across borders. Furthermore, the discussions on the certification of digital wallets and the advocacy for standardized procedures directly correspond with EBSI-CAN’s exploration of blockchain technology as a unified, interoperable solution for verifying educational credentials. The implications drawn from the NGI Forum discussions align cohesively with the multifaceted objectives of EBSI-CAN, emphasising collaboration, privacy and security standards, certification processes, and the transparent, cross-border nature inherent in successful initiatives.

Connection to EBSI-CAN:

Relating this to the EBSI-CAN project, the discussion underscores the collaborative and evolving nature of identity frameworks, emphasising the need for collective input to enhance their effectiveness. The commitment to transparency, open-source development, and collaboration aligns with the principles of the EBSI-CAN project, which aims to explore and enhance cross-border educational credential verification. Furthermore, the mention of large-scale pilots, such as the one testing the wallet with the EBSI trust framework, resonates with the EBSI-CAN project.

The NGI Forum 2023 provided a rich source of insights that directly align with the goals and challenges of the EBSI-CAN project. The shared emphasis on interoperability, privacy, security standards, and collaborative development signifies a harmonious trajectory in advancing digital credentials and cross-border educational services.

Watch the full panel discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yox0bMeuDvs&t=875s