Any questions? We have answers
Here you will find frequently asked questions about how our service works, both from a user perspective as well as from an organisations perspective
What does it mean to have a digital identity?
In today’s world we have multiple identities, both online and offline. Simply put, each time we register for an online service, a new digital identity is created for us. Having many identities floating around the web is dangerous because it means our data is exposed worldwide. With sideos, we aim to give your data back to you in the form of a single digital identity that only you control.
How do I use a digital identity?
Sideos products use a technology called Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). This makes it possible for your digital identity to correspond to any phone or device on which you want to store it.
One phone = one app = one digital identity = only YOUR data
What happens to my data if I lose or break my phone?
First of all, do not panic. You have 3 options:
- If you backed up your data with sideos backup, you can re-install the sideos app on a new device and restore your Credentials with a simple verification process.
- You can choose to ask the issuers to re-issue your Credentials.
- You have to try to collect them again, if possible.
What happens if someone steals my phone?
If you have biometric recognition (fingerprint or face) or PIN activated on your phone, you can be sure that nothing will happen as these security measures will protect your phone from unwanted access. Nevertheless, you can also block your account. Simply activate sideos Trust Service and ask your trustee to block it for you, or simply use sideos Backup, if activated. This way, the old Credentials will be blocked and further use will be prevented.
Can I share a Credential with someone else?
Not exactly. You cannot share Credentials but you can pass them on. For example, you have a Credential ‘ticket for the cinema’ and cannot go anymore, so you’d like to give it to your friend. You can pass the Credential to your friend and yours will not be valid anymore. Of course, this is only possible if the verifier accepts this kind of exchange.
Can I get a Credential if my smartphone camera is broken?
If the issuer provides you with a link instead of a QR code, yes, definitely.
How do I manage my data if I have 2 phones? Does any phone correspond to a single digital ID?
It is possible to use your Credentials on multiple devices. However, the original ones will be stored with the issuers’ signature on the first device. Copies of those can be ‘given’ to the second device and will be signed by you. You can use the copies of the Credentials as long as the verifier accepts them.
Does sideos technology work offline? For example, you do not have a signal down in the basement parking lot. How do you show your Credential for parking if you’re offline?
Visualization of Credentials is possible offline, so you can still show your Credential to the parking controller. However, you cannot accept them if you’re not online, as for those you need a connection.
How do I control and update my data?
You control your data by deciding:
- With whom = which service provider is allowed to see them
- To which extent = you select which data to share
- When = upon request of the service provider and when it’s needed. The business side no longer stores any data.
Since you are the owner of your data you’re always able to see if it’s outdated and therefore update it if necessary from your own device. This is also beneficial to the business side, which will ask you for newly updated data every time it’s needed and the transmission of it will be seamless.
Concerning passwordless and more user-friendly login for the user, what is the value added compared to login with Google/Facebook/Apple ID?
True story is that it’s easy to login with Google, FB, and Apple but if you decide to terminate your relationship with them, all your connections with connected third parties are lost, and there’s no way to gain access to them again unless you register with other means.
Why should you rely on us and not on an extremely secure database?
Good question. How much do you spend on risk assessments and data protection law implementation per year? Has a data breach ever happened to your organisation? How many data breaches have happened to you? A database is, after all, a colander and we don’t want to use that for anything other than cooking pasta. Do you?
If we purchase SSIaaS, can we integrate it with our marketing/CRM tool? If yes, how?
Is SSI based on blockchain? Does it work only with blockchain?
Easy answer: no, it’s not based on blockchain and it doesn’t work solely with blockchain.
SSI is a communication protocol, meaning a set of formally described rules that define the modes of communication between two or more entities. As such, it can also work with a simple database. However, we at sideos use blockchain because we want to make sure that the data will not be modified; in more industry specific language, we want to avoid tampering of data. By being immutable, whatever is written on the blockchain is the truth. On this basis, for security and identity reasons, blockchain is used but it’s not strictly necessary.
In our product case, personal data of users is not stored on a blockchain but on their device. In other cases you have the possibility to make it available on the network, whether this is the organization’s database (when data is private) or the blockchain (when data is public).
What does a customer (company) need to integrate SSIaaS? What is the timing? What is the cost?
Integrating SSIaaS is as easy as setting up 2 calls to an API. The timing will depend on your environment and it can take minutes or a couple of hours. You can choose to ask us to do it for you and pay a set up fee, or rely on your team.
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