Hello everyone
This is the running update from the Executive Director. Have questions or comments? Suggest some added information or edits? Contact Colin at kantarainitiative dot org.
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This Director's Corner for September comes a few days late, such is the level of activity in Kantara in recent weeks. Some of it has been announced but there is another major announcement scheduled for this week with more beyond.
Last month I mentioned how governments around the world are announcing intention to bring in legislation regarding digital identity, within a few weeks (even days!) of each other. So when I was asked by Think Digital Partners to write a piece as part of my role there on its Advisory Board, I chose to write about this topic. It is quite intriguing in one sense given just how close these announcements are to each other. But in another sense it is kind of understandable, and I go on to talk about why that might be, as well as share the scope of legislation to the extent that I am aware of it. My observations are broadly restricted to the 'five nations' common law countries because I am most familiar with them but also three of the five are Kantara members. You'll hear more on that this coming week!
I do think that there is a pattern emerging .. Kantara has a highly reputable, globally recognized assurance program fr accrediting assessors and approving applicant service providers' solutions to be conformant with a given standard - NIST 800-63-3 being most sought after in recent times. COVID-19 has put the spotlight on the need for more digital interaction with government. Digital identity is fundamental to addressing those interactions especially if they are higher risk transactions for payments and such like from Government. Ergo, public sector interest in Kantara.
Remember that the Assurance Program uses the open and transparent structure of the IAWG to develop the assessment criteria, comprised as it is, with experts from the private, public and Higher Ed sectors as well as individuals. And all the working groups have the potential to act as steward for the frameworks and the assessment criteria for conformance to standards within those frameworks, just as the IAWG does for the Identity Assurance Framework. Alongside developing submissions to calls for contributions on digital identity-related matters as part of its global civic duty as an international commons unimpeded by barriers to participation as most non profit industry associations are, it also develops the assessment criteria needed for the accredited assessors as a group to consistently assess and report their findings for applicant service provider solutions. To these dual ends, the IAWG has had a huge few months. Firstly, it developed the level 3 criteria for N800-63-3 IAL3, AAL3 and FAL3 that are coming to the end of their All Member Ballot period. (NOTE BENE: If you are the primary representative of your organization or an individual member, please do your duty to the community by casting your vote on this important work). Secondly, last week it completed and submitted its input to the open public consultation is on the European Union's eIDAS regulation. Thank you individual contributor member Mark King leading the active and animated discussion at meetings and on the list regarding this, and to Staff (Ruth) who took it down the final straight towards submission (appropriately) from Kantara Initiative Europe.
Kantara Individual Contributor member, and globally acknowledged privacy expert, John Wunderlich did just that. Juggling his client work, along with a stint temporary stint as Chair of the ISI-WG, John also put his hand up to spin up the much anticipated Kantara mDL Discussion Group. This DG will focus on rounding out the ISO 18013-5 mDL standard's privacy and security recommendations in Annex E - a critically essential success factor to enable the development of the fledgling global mDL ecosystem. Some of you may have seen and heard John (and Kantara President Matt) speaking on Secure Technology Alliance's Webinar #3 (note that there were some technical issues impacting this session but it is being re-recorded). Our collective hats off to you John Wunderlich. We applaud your quiet resolve and magnanimity. Give John, and the Leadership Council, a few weeks to get the Charter approved and for Staff to build the wiki space and we will let you know when the site is up and the GPA ready for you to acknowledge.
The IAWG also completed work sponsored by ID.ME to develop Service Assessment Criteria (SAC) at Assurance Level 3 for Identity Assurance (IAL3), Authentication Assurance (AAL3), and Federation Assurance (FAL3) of NIST’s SP 800-63 Revision 3. These SAC are currently undergoing Public and IPR Review. Thanks to ID.ME for its support in developing this important part of Kantara’s Identity Assurance Framework.
Kantara Europe was busy as usual coaching existing NGI_Trust projects and, as mentioned last month, working with a large consortium on a new funding bid for 2021. It‘S project name is Demoiselle with a focus on Long Term Security of Systems, Systems of Systems and Organizations & Societies all through policy, process and technology planes. This is more IoT oriented than Kantara's traditionally known core capabilities but, with IDoT becoming so relevant now and having the global reach to expertise that we do, the consortium sought out Kantara to fill this much needed gap in its enviable line-up of partners.
I want to round out this month's blog with a hat-tip to the Board. All summer-long it has been undertaking a deep strategic review of Kantara - the organization’s capabilities, its vision and mission, and its role in the global ecosystem. The last review of this kind took place in 2016, the year I took up the post of ED. In the intervening five years, Kantara has changed in nearly every dimension, with the exception of its foundational ethics and ethos which remains as the Founders chartered it back in 2009. 2020, Kantara's 11th year of operation seemed an entirely appropriate year to review and reset. If you have a futurist view of Kantara please let the Board know by emailing directors at kantarainitiative dot org. It aims to share its initial thoughts on the findings with you all and here on this blog next month.
Grab the last of the sun in the north or the spring skiing in the south, because the last quarter of 2020 looks set to be something of a game-changer for Kantara.
Onwards!
Kind regards,
Colin
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