Self-Sovereign Identity Model: Ethics and Legal Principles

The emergence of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) as a new digital identity paradigm has gained significant attention due to its potential to revolutionise Digital Identity Management. This paper delves into the concept of SSI from a legal and philosophical standpoint and analyses the novel aspects introduced by the Proposal (hereinafter Proposal or eIDAS 2.0) in the European Union (EU). Then, it compares the principles of SSI with those outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with the final objective of understanding how an SSI approach to digital identity can contribute to protecting fundamental rights in the digital space. Finally, this analysis takes advantage of the experience gained in the context of a Horizon 2020 project on electronic identification (eID) named IMPULSE (“Identity Management in Public Services”), which is here treated as a use case.