To speed up the creation and adoption of digital identities for travel, SITA announced a co-innovation agreement with Indicio, the industry pioneer in open-source verifiable data technology and trusted digital ecosystems.
SITA and Indicio, two market leaders in their respective industries, are advancing open-source, decentralised identity technologies that allow for efficient, secure, and privacy-preserving operations both inside airports and throughout the entirety of a journey.
Passengers can securely create a digital replica of their physical passport in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards thanks to the development of digital identities or Digital Travel Credentials (DTC). The passenger’s mobile wallet stores the DTC as a verifiable credential. This means that while travelling, travellers retain control over their personal data and give their consent to share it as necessary with various entities. Passengers arrive at the airport prepared to fly with all document checks already completed because only necessary passenger data is shared prior to travel.
Since ownership can be automatically and repeatedly verified, the technology has been developed to ensure authenticity and integrity, reducing the likelihood of fraud.
The deal comes after a fruitful partnership in which this technology was tested with the government of Aruba. A streamlined procedure that did not require manually entering data from paper travel documents was used by passengers arriving at Queen Beatrix International Airport to apply for their travel authorization. Passengers could then give their consent using a DTC to share any pertinent data with multiple parties directly from their mobile device’s digital wallet, including the government at the port of entry and other touchpoints like hotels or car rental agencies.
The adoption of digital identities will represent the biggest technological advance in the travel sector in decades, according to Jeremy Springall, SVP of SITA AT BORDERS. Every step of the identification process will be made simpler, and it will allow the air transport sector to fully benefit from seamless travel and the digital economy. SITA and Indicio are honoured to be driving the effort.
Indicio CEO Heather Dahl stated: “Over the past three years, we’ve worked together to advance this technology with a shared vision for what it can do. It is difficult to understate just how significant SITA’s leadership has been in the field of open-source verifiable credential technology and decentralised identity. And we were fulfilled
. Now that the horizon has widened, a wide range of applications are available. We will make all of these applications a reality for travellers, flight crew, airports, borders, hotels, and governments with SITA’s DTC utilising Indicio ProvenTM technology. We are eager to see what this partnership can create and accomplish.
Source- Travel daily