Blockchain Startup Attest Building Wallet for Storing Digital Versions of Government and Corporate ID Cards

On Monday (5 November 2018), Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (better known simply as “Deloitte”) and Attest, Inc. announced via a press release a new collaboration “to assist government clients with digital identity solutions to help solve for a host of government challenges.”

Chicago-based Attest is a blockchain startup founded in March 2018 by two former Illinois state government employees: Cab Morris, who is the CEO, and Jennifer O’Rourke, who is the President of the company.

Attest is currently building two products: “Attest Wallet” and “Attest Enterprise”.

Attest says that Attest Wallet is “a more secure and efficient way for consumers to manage and share personal data”, and builds “consumer trust and confidence by providing unparalleled privacy, security and control”. As for Attest Enterprise, Attest describes this as a “powerful and secure, user-centric identity management toolkit for governments and businesses.” Apparently, these tools can “be integrated into any system with two simple APIs.”

According to a report in Forbes published yesterday, Attest Wallets will “let users store digital versions of a wide range of government and corporate IDs in a single place”, and they are being designed to “let users control who sees what and how the information is monetized, if at all.” 

Attest’s CEO Told Forbes:

“I wouldn’t say it’s a replacement but a truly digital version of your social security card, your driver’s license, your health records. But one that allows you to cryptographically authenticate to a variety of different service providers in a way that you would typically with Facebook Connect or Google Sign-in.”

Morris had this to say about his company’s strategic partnership with Deloitte:

“We are excited to work with Deloitte to bring blockchain-enabled technologies such as decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials to government. Identity is foundational to nearly every government service and is the basis for trust and legitimacy in the public sector.

“Combining government’s robust identity verification infrastructure with a platform engineered for security, privacy and scale can also unlock tremendous value for both citizens and businesses outside of government. A government-issued digital identity has the potential to reduce costs and risk for businesses in all industries, while also providing citizens with greater security, privacy and control over personal data.”

Marc Mancher, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP (and government and public services practice’s automation service business leader), stated:

“Blockchain requires a digital credential and in government, requiring a digital credential gets complicated pretty quickly. Attest brings a set of solutions to help address this issue of digital credentials, making the use of solutions that require that digital identity more appealing technology for government clients.”

Featured Image Courtesy of Attest, Inc.