This European project aims to provide the public with technology that allows them to have greater control over the information they share, both in terms of using secure and distributed passwords and in obtaining anonymous and verifiable proof of identity.
OLYMPUS is entering its final phase in the coming months. The pandemic has meant that face-to-face sessions in different parts of Europe have taken place virtually over the past few months, but this has not stopped the project from progressing. Although the overall course of the project has not been interrupted, some tasks could not be completed to their full potential within the planned timeframe due to the movement restrictions, so the project timeline has been extended.
During the first few months of the project, the bases of a new architecture that allows users to effectively control the information they share online were defined. These bases allowed, over the following months, the definition of new cryptographic mechanisms and a technical framework that allows said information to be managed, based on the generation of proof of identity without any data that may directly identify the user, although it is possible to verify them under certain conditions so that their authenticity can be proven.
Project use cases
Alongside the development of new cryptographic mechanisms and in order to demonstrate the practical operation of the technology and its applications in the market, two use cases applying this new technology have been carried out, in accordance with specific business requirements:
- One of the pilot tests is based on the use of the mobile version of the driving licence used in various countries across the EU and in the United States to carry out anonymous tests to verify the user’s age, indicating whether they are within a certain range without revealing any other data about the real user. This allows, for example, restricted goods such as alcohol to be purchased or certain facilities to be accessed.
- The second pilot test, led by Logalty, is based on the generation of anonymous proof of identity using information extracted from a credit report. This proof of identity will contain the information that a financial institution may find relevant to study the suitability of a user with respect to a given financial service without knowing the user’s real identity, thereby avoiding their decision being influenced by different, even unconscious, biases.
Testing phase with users
During the summer months, these use cases will begin the testing phase with users external to the project. This litmus test will be very useful for the project in terms of knowing what users think about this new way of managing digital identities. In the case of the tests run by Logalty, the users will be external and from non-technological backgrounds, and the results of these tests will be analysed at the end of the process to understand the resulting metrics, both from the perspective of the specific use case and the new framework in general.
As part of this project, Logalty is also evaluating different extensions to several of our current services in order to incorporate the new technologies resulting from our collaboration with OLYMPUS as part of our business model.
The OLYMPUS consortium includes the University of Murcia, IBM, Alexandra Institute, Multicert, Scytales and Logalty. For further information see https://olympus-project.eu/
The research that has produced these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, pursuant to Grant Agreement No. 786725 (OLYMPUS).
Noelia Martínez
Frontend Team Lead
Noelia Martínez is the Frontend Team Lead and has worked in Logalty’s Development department for 7 years, participating in multiple company projects. She currently manages the European collaborative project OLYMPUS alongside the University of Murcia and is a key player in the design and development of a digital identity management system at a European level.
