Key Points:
- Buenos Aires to launch blockchain-based digital ID system in October.
- QuarkID, a digital identity protocol, powers the secure and self-sovereign system.
- The move sets a global standard for harnessing blockchain for public welfare.
In a significant stride towards modernizing its administrative processes, Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is poised to integrate blockchain technology into its bureaucracy. As of October, the city’s residents will gain access to their identity documents through a digital wallet, as announced on September 28th.
Initially, the blockchain will host essential documents such as birth and marriage certificates, alongside proof of income and academic credentials. The announcement also outlines plans for incorporating health data and payment management in the future. A comprehensive roadmap for extending this blockchain-based solution nationwide is expected to be finalized by the end of 2023.
Driving the infrastructure of this project is QuarkID, a digital identity protocol developed by Web3 firm Extrimian. QuarkID wallets operate on zkSync Era, an Ethereum scaling protocol utilizing zero-knowledge rollups. This innovative technology enables one party to authenticate a statement’s validity to another party without disclosing specific details about the statement itself.
¡Hola Buenos Aires! Welcome to the ZK Nation 🇦🇷
Buenos Aires is teaming up with @Quark_ID to issue digital identification services to millions of citizens in the city, with zkSync Era serving as the anchor blockchain for the program.
Learn more: https://t.co/C2ogl1qobc
TL;DR… pic.twitter.com/H2doBrotvM
— zkSync ∎ (@zksync) September 28, 2023
Guillermo Villanueva, CEO of Extrimian, expressed, “This marks a monumental stride towards a safer and more efficient future for government services in Latin America.”
Data stored within these wallets will be self-sovereign, empowering citizens to manage the distribution of their credentials when engaging with government bodies, businesses, and individuals. ZkSync Era will serve as the settlement layer for QuarkID, ensuring that each citizen possesses accurate credentials.
The Argentine government and the City of Buenos Aires envision their digital identity framework as a public asset. According to Diego Fernandez, Buenos Aires’ Secretary of Innovation:
“With this development, Buenos Aires becomes the first city in Latin America and one of the pioneers globally in adopting and promoting this new technology, setting the standard for how other countries in the region can harness blockchain technology for the welfare of their citizens.”
Argentine authorities are concurrently examining a related initiative in the country, the Worldcoin digital ID project. In August, local authorities revealed an inquiry concerning privacy issues tied to Worldcoin’s collection, storage, and utilization of user data.
Worldcoin has also come under scrutiny in Europe and Africa since its global launch in July. Founded by Sam Altman, a co-founder of OpenAI, the project employs retinal scans for user verification.
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