Decentralized Filipino Identification System (DFIS)- enabled by blockchain (PART 1)

"Yung mga Pantas na mga Filipino at mahal ang bansa na ito ang dapat gumawa ng National ID at 'wag ng ipaubaya sa mga banyaga. Kaya ito ng Pilipinas para sa mga Filipino." - Meric B. Mara

As part of global digital transformation age, there is a clamor in creating a simple and yet effective system to handle identity of every Filipino, thus, we now have the National ID project.  Having said that, simplified public and private transactions that can greatly improve the delivery of government services must be top on the things that need to be considered. Avoiding "Identity Theft" and "Data Breaches"  should be top priorities in the overall design or Architecture of the system.

What’s the problem?
1. Too many government IDs to maintain from different government agencies.
2. Guarantee citizens’ privacy and safety.
3. Protection of personal documents from counterfeiting, alteration, or theft.
4. Increasing costs and complexity of physical ID issuance, renewal, maintenance, monitoring, and verification.
5 .and more...

Blockchain should be the technology behind the DFIS

Philippine Identification System PhilSys) must introduce the Decentralized Filipino Identification System (DFIS) -  enabled by blockchain as blockchain could put an end to identity theft. Blockchain’s ability to control information and avoid duplication is called Self-Sovereign Identity.

Here are some important things that should be talked about when it comes to Blockchain:
-Decentralization
-Cryptographic Encryption
-Immutability
-Consensus-based control

Here’s how it works: Each block in the blockchain builds upon its predecessor, and the cryptographic nature of these blocks makes it hard to change information stored in the existing blocks. The resulting record is immutable, meaning that changes to every single identifier associated with an individual must be logged. This system prevents malicious actions by data custodians and ultimately makes identity theft more difficult to execute. (http://fortune.com/2018/04/20/blockchain-technology-identity-theft-data-privacy-protection/)

This technology can really create a Web or Network of Trust. This trust cannot be compromised and will provide important values to Filipinos such as:

1. Distributed trust and increased protection of identity data.
2. Reduced counterfeiting, alteration, and theft.
3. Reduced risk and cost of identity issuance and management.
4. Increased efficiency in compliance control, monitoring, and quality.

What's Next?

1. The government should "HIGHLY" consider blockchain and encryption in creating a Web or Network of Trust.
2. The project should be done by collaborative Filipino experts to execute this project properly.
3. Telecommunications companies should start being transparent in their commitment to the Filipinos in providing proper connectivity for this National ID project.
4. Implement Honeypot on top of this (DFIS) Network.
5. Identity and Access Validation System+APis  — this will be the interface to all agency applications in verifying the identity.

As for me, National ID project should drive a BIG impact in identifying or profiling the next leaders of our country.


Will write more on other technologies suited for this project.

Thank you!
 /mbm