Solutions related to self-sovereign identity (SSI) and decentralized
digital identity (DDID) have been gaining momentum for some time, but it is not
a stretch to say that 2022 could be a landmark year of progress for implementation
of this blockchain-based technology in travel.
Already the
IATA Travel Pass
is one example of a product build on
decentralized digital ID. But that type of wallet can – and will – in the near
future be used in many ways beyond the storing and sharing of health credentials.
It also has the potential to profoundly change the way suppliers
and travelers interact, opening up new opportunities for retailing, loyalty and
a more seamless travel experience while erasing concerns about privacy and
security.
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Leading the work around implementation in travel is a subgroup of
the Decentralized Identity Foundation known as the
Hospitality
and Travel Special Interest Group (H&T SIG)
, with more than 30
companies and individuals collaborating to advance the adoption of SSI and DDID
in travel.
Nick
Price
, former CIO and CTO of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and founder of
NetSys Technology, is the informal chair of the group.
One of the companies at the forefront of this work is
Evernym
, the technology provider behind
IATA’s Travel Pass, which in
early December was acquired by cybersecurity firm Avast
.
In the recent
PhocusWire
Pulse: Emerging Innovation
online event, Price and Jamie Smith, now senior manager of business development at
Avast, joined PhocusWire’s Mitra Sorrells to explain how SSI and DDID will transform
the travel experience.
The two also shared details of the use cases currently in
development and why now is the time for travel companies to focus on awareness and
testing of this technology.
The full interview is included below.
PhocusWire Pulse: Emerging Innovation - SSI as a key to the future