Evolution of Identity solutions

Identity solutions have evolved to provide users more control and flexibility:

1. Centralized: Identity information is created and managed by individual companies or services. The user has limited control over their identity and the user must manage a separate relationship with each service as there are no relationships between providers. The user does not own the rights to its identity so as a result it can be taken away without the user’s consent.
2. Federated: Identities are managed by a central service, but provided in a way that can be used with other services. The identity is still controlled by a central authority and can be withheld or revoked at any time, but at least the user can use it on multiple sites. The federation, including the central service, is directly involved in every authentication.
3. User-Centric: User-centric is the current standard. The user is given more control, and authentication is performed indirectly through the user so that the identity provider does not have to be directly involved in every transaction. However, this approach still relies on the user selecting an individual identity provider and agreeing to their terms and governance for the personal data of the user.
4. Self-Sovereign: All basic requirements of individual control, security, and full portability are supported. The individual is their own identity provider. As such, there is no external party who can claim to provide the identity for them. The individual’s digital existence is independent of any single organization.