Buenos Aires Launches Blockchain-Powered Digital ID for Secure Document Storage
According to The Block, the Buenos Aires city government is launching a blockchain-based digital ID service named QuarkID. This service aims to securely store official documents such as marriage and death certificates. The technology behind this service is built on Matter Labs’ zkSync Era rollup and incorporates elements from the Argentina-based startup Extrimian.
As Brian McGleenon reported for The Block on September 28, starting in October, Buenos Aires residents can download the QuarkID wallet to store and access their personal identification documents. The service is set to expand its offerings in November to include additional documents like proof of income, academic attendance certificates, and benefit claim documents.
As per The Block, the digital ID service uses a decentralized identity protocol and is partly powered by technology from Extrimian. The application itself is built on Matter Labs’ zkSync Era rollup, a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum.
Diego Fernandez, Buenos Aires City Government Secretary of Innovation, told The Block that the aim of this digital trust framework is to function as a public good. The framework is designed to return control over data to individuals and to enable secure and efficient digital interactions among the government, companies, and citizens.
Pablo Mosquella, COO of Extrimian, informed The Block that the documents stored in the QuarkID wallet are issued as “verified credentials” by the Buenos Aires local government. These credentials are stored on the individual’s device and are only accessible to the user, who can then present them for verification in various situations.
The Block notes that initially, the digital documents will serve as an alternative to traditional paper documents rather than replacing them. However, Mosquella revealed that legislative changes are in the works to grant these digital credentials the same legal standing as their physical counterparts. These legislative changes are currently in development and are expected to be discussed in the coming term.
According to The Block, the Buenos Aires local government is actively working on legislative amendments to ensure that digital credentials have the same legal validity as physical documents. These changes are still in the development phase and are expected to be debated in the near future.
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