The growth and adoption of secure digital identity systems, including digital health status systems containing health records, could provide a uniform and reliable response to calls for health credential verification. In this white paper, Perkins Coie authors examine the three pillars essential to successfully developing and deploying these technologies.

As these systems are forced to evolve to address challenges such as those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, their success will depend upon the effective implementation of at least three digital identity pillars:

1) trust (i.e., confidence that an individual’s digital identity is what it purports to be and has not been altered);

2) user-centricity (i.e., an individual’s ability to exercise control over their digital identity, including protecting the privacy of their attributes); and

3) data security.

Together, these three pillars will form the foundational framework of a robust digital identity system and contribute to the growth and adoption of digital identity systems, as well as determine the systems’ utility in accurately identifying individuals and their attributes.