SDIKA: A secure digital identity for Karlsruhe residents

Secure digital identities are the key to digital transformation, as they focus on users and their data. The “Secure Digital Identities Showcase Karlsruhe” (SDIKA) project is researching what this could look like.

The digital transformation has changed our daily lives in many ways. Be it in the way we shop, communicate or work. These changes have also increased the need for secure, digital identities. Because in a world where most aspects of our lives take place online, solutions are needed. They allow the uncomplicated, barrier-free use of digital services. At the same time, they must protect our personal data.

“Digital identities enable new processes in society that didn’t exist before. If you like, they act as a link between the citizenry and the individual digital applications,” explains Sascha Alpers. He is responsible for the SDIKA project at the FZI Research Center for Information Technology. “Although the ID card with online ID function has been around for several years, the hurdles to actually using it are high. We want to create a solution that is as easy for citizens to use as paying with a debit card or smartphone.”

SDIKA: suitability for everyday use is a top priority

The sovereignty of users – which can be companies, public corporations or associations as well as citizens – is at the forefront of SDIKA. They decide for themselves whether they manage their identities centrally (cloud-based identity) or themselves (self-sovereign identity, SSI), including which data they share with third parties.

The project also focuses on interoperability, openness and suitability for everyday use. Among other things, an open-source adapter will make it possible to use the digital identities of different issuers in different use cases. This is one of the prerequisites for citizens to be able to use digital identities at all and for open, digital ecosystems to emerge.

“We are testing everyday and relevant use cases from the areas of e-government, health, mobility, digital planning and construction and digital urban society. These can then be used in the future with a cross-application eID,” explains Sascha Alpers. “We can also take specific identity attributes into account, such as digital proof of a driver’s license. Car sharing services can then also be used in this way.”

The principle of data economy always applies: only share the information with the providers that they need for the respective service. When renting a car, the car sharing service only learns whether a class B driving license is available and not whether another driving license in a different class is available.

SDIKA: Science, business and administration work hand in hand

“Another example of using the digital identity would be a visit to Karlsruhe Zoo. The ticket required for this can then be booked easily and conveniently via the Karlsruhe.app. Any discounts resulting from an existing CIK-club card, for example, are taken into account directly,” explains Wolfgang Toppazzini from the Office for Information Technology and Digitization of the City of Karlsruhe. The city administration is the SDIKA consortium leader. “SDIKA also helps us to digitize administrative services. There is no longer any media disruption and citizens can do everything online.”

Originally initiated by the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, SDIKA is now a project in which over 20 partners from business, science and administration are working hand in hand. By the end of the project period in August 2024, they want to implement over 10 use cases for Karlsruhe and the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region – always with the aim of digital sovereignty and interoperability of the various solutions. “But the aspect of usability is also very important to us. Because only what is easy to use will be used. That’s why we launched test balloons with selected citizens at an early stage,” emphasizes Sascha Alpers.

SDIKA is not the only project of its kind in Germany: “Other cities and regions are also researching secure, digital identities,” adds Markus Losert. He heads the Office for Information Technology and Digitization of the City of Karlsruhe. “Of course, we are in regular contact with these projects in order to exploit technological overlaps and synergies. After all, digital identities should not only work in a specific city or region.”

Further information can be found on the official SDIKA project page.