Self-sovereign, Decentralised Identity Management and Personal Data Sharing

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How is re:claimID different from <insert other identity provider service here> ?
  • Unlike most other identity provider services, re:claimID is not operated by a single service provider or even a federated consortium of service providers. Instead, it is a fully decentralised service operated implicitly by its users. Consequently, large-scale data monetisation, mass-surveillance and other (ab)use of personal data is inherently mitigated.
  • How much does re:claimID cost?
  • re:claimID is Free Software. We argue that in order for an identity system to be a credible solution for self-sovereign citizens to exercise their right to digital self determination, open and free software as well as services are indispensible.
  • How does re:claimID work?
  • re:claimID uses the GNU Name System as identity and attribute directory service. In order to allow the user to enforce access control decisions, we use a cryptographic access control layer. However, the user is not required to manage any cryptographic keys or manage zones in a namespace. This is done under the hood by re:claimID.
  • How does a website know the attribute data share via re:claimID is correct?
  • Short answer: It doesn't. Long answer: Identities are initially self-asserted by the user. re:claimID could, however, also be used to share third party attested attributes (e.g. X.509 certificates). Further, we are working on integrating privacy credentials for this use case.
  • Who is behind re:claimID?
  • re:claimID is developed primarily by Fraunhofer AISEC.
  • I found a bug!
  • We aim to continuously develop and improve re:claimID. Help us by reporting any issues you encounter.