Starting October 1, 2024, all active users of miBA, the city’s digital platform for accessing government services and documents, received their own decentralized digital identity (DID). These DIDs are secured by QuarkID’s wallet and settled on Era, a Layer 2 blockchain powered by ZKsync. This initiative positions Buenos Aires as a pioneer in transforming government services through blockchain technology, setting a new global standard for privacy-focused digital identity.
Empowering Citizens with Ownership and Control
In a world where governments and institutions traditionally own and manage citizens’ data, Buenos Aires is turning the model upside down by giving citizens direct ownership of their personal information. Through QuarkID, individuals can now access, store, and share their verified credentials — like birth certificates or tax documents — securely and independently.
This self-sovereign identity approach gives citizens control over their personal data. Rather than relying on physical documents that expose unnecessary information, such as a full name or address when proving one’s age, residents can now verify their credentials peer-to-peer through their mobile devices. This guarantees that no third party, including the government, can track when, how, or why a credential is being used.
At the core of this initiative are QuarkID’s open-source digital trust framework powered by ZKsync’s zero-knowledge proof blockchain technology, which brings a new level of security, privacy, and transparency to how personal data is managed:
Since the initial announcement of QuarkID in September 2023, Buenos Aires has worked closely with partners such as Extrimian to transition miBA’s centralized system to a decentralized one. QuarkID allows residents to view, download, and share documents while also serving as the login portal for all government systems to schedule appointments, carry out procedures, or submit requests. Citizens can now access any of the City’s systems (previously miBA login) by simply scanning a QR code—no password required.
With the integration of QuarkID, miBA users will have access to over 60 digital documents and certificates, including but not limited to:
In addition to its use in Buenos Aires, QuarkID has successfully conducted pilot programs in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, and is slated for future adoption in other Argentine provinces, including Salta.
As an open-source Digital Public Good, QuarkID invites developers, enterprises, and institutions to contribute to its continued growth. The framework offers a secure, decentralized infrastructure that can be adapted for secure logins, identity verification, and even loyalty programs across various industries.
miBA is the digital platform for accessing services and documents issued by the Government of Buenos Aires. Used by more than 3.6 million residents, miBA offers secure access to government services, document viewing, and management, all from a mobile app. Now, with the integration of QuarkID technology, miBA is taking a major step toward self-sovereign digital identity, giving citizens more control and security over their personal data.
About QuarkID
QuarkID is a digital protocol that implements a new trust framework for creating and managing digital identities and all their credentials in a decentralized manner, using asymmetric cryptography and the immutability of the blockchain to establish trust in a digital world. It is open-source and based on international standards such as those from W3C, Trust Over IP, and Decentralized Identity Foundation. It is designed to be interoperable with other protocols created around the world.
About Extrimian
Extrimian is a leading company in Latin America specializing in digital identity solutions on the blockchain. Its mission is to empower individuals and organizations through decentralized technologies that allow full control over digital identity and personal data.
About ZKsync
ZKsync leverages cutting-edge zero-knowledge (ZK) technology to create secure, scalable, and interoperable blockchain solutions. Through its ZK Stack framework, ZKsync enables developers, enterprises, and financial institutions to deploy customizable ZK Chains, forming the Elastic (NYSE:ESTC) Chain ecosystem. This innovative network offers native, trustless interoperability, enhanced privacy, and unparalleled scalability while maintaining Ethereum‘s security. ZKsync’s mission is to bring crypto to the mainstream, empowering millions of developers and billions of users with digital self-ownership and personal freedom. To learn more, users can visit zksync.io.
ContactHenri Viesmgroup@matterlabs.dev
This article was originally published on Chainwire
Source: Cryptocurrency - investing.com
