As Canadian and European governments prepare to issue digital identities to their citizens (e.g., passports, driver’s licences, health cards), ensuring ownership, control and interoperability of data is paramount.

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In February 2021, Northern Block released a suite of self-sovereign identity products (branded as NB Orbit) to facilitate the adoption of digital trust ecosystems. Knowing that government digital identity initiatives require the use of open source code, specifications and standards, Northern Block ensured its products were architected around them. They also continued contributing in the open source at the Trust over IP Foundation, the DIACC and in Hyperledger Aries.

Hyperledger Aries is a toolkit aimed to provide a shared, reusable, interoperable tool kit designed for initiatives and solutions focused on creating, transmitting and storing verifiable digital credentials. It includes a shared cryptographic storage for blockchain clients as well as a communications protocol for allowing off-ledger interactions between those clients. In order to kickstart their decentralized identity initiatives, Canadian and European governments (example) have selected Hyperledger Aries as their technology stack of choice.

Check out this podcast episode to learn about Open Data and Tech Standards, and to better understand Why Governments Are Choosing Aries and Indy.

“Northern Block has committed itself to compliance with open source projects which lead to the interoperability of verifiable credentials. We are part of a vibrant digital identity ecosystem that knows that digital sovereignty can only be achieved through open sourced auditable systems. We’re proud to support and contribute to it,” says Mathieu Glaude, CEO of Northern Block.

The Digital Identity Laboratory of Canada (“IDLab”) evaluates conformance of wallet technology providers to the Hyperledger Aries Interoperability Profile. The IDLab is an independent Canadian non-profit entity dedicated to advancing digital trust by breaking down barriers to digital ID adoption. The IDLab team conducted the testing of the NB Orbit mobile wallet on both iOS and Android devices, running testing within the IDLab’s technology environment.

Pierre Roberge, general manager of the Digital Identity Laboratory of Canada:

“The IDLab plays a critical role in scaling and facilitating interoperability of digital trust ecosystems. Acting as a neutral and trusted third party, the IDLab confirms conformity to technology and standards. Northern Block, an early user of the IDLab has successfully demonstrated the conformance of the NB Orbit mobile wallet with AiP v1, which many governments are asking for as a starting point.”

With the mission to unlock digital trust for the public and private sector, Northern Block will continue to collaborate with industry partners such as the IDLab to further the maturity of critical frameworks.