The growth factors of self-sovereign identity solutions in Europe

Digital identity has traditionally been approached from an organizational point of view. While user-centric concepts were introduced to the market, these are still provided by a single entity, which dictates the rules of the interactions. In 2020 the need of a reliable infrastructure for secure identification and authentication reach reached a whole new level. But the internet has still no framework for the exchange of verified information between trusted parties.

Currently, individuals either use passwords or a single sign-on provided by a big technology company and increasingly lose control and oversight of their digital life.

This thesis introduces the concept of self-sovereign identity and analysis the factors required to achieve adoption of the concept. It describes the basic components of a self- sovereign identity system and provides the reader with an overview of important conceptual theories to understand the differences to traditional identity systems and the unique approach taken instead.

It then dives into the status quo of the discussions around business, technology, legal and governance aspects. It further examines the central factors for the user and describes a know your costumer use-case as well as the current efforts and challenges for higher education certificates for learners. Furthermore, it depicts the diffusion factors of the innovation. While the legal aspects are mainly concerned with regulations from the European Union, the findings in this thesis can be applied globally.