IdentityCan

IdentityCan is a concept in digital identity governance describing a portable, user-centric container for personal identity data and credentials. It envisions individuals owning, controlling, and selectively sharing verified attributes across online services, offline processes, and interoperable systems. The term appears in discussions about self-sovereign identity and privacy-preserving authentication, serving as a model for how identity information could be managed outside centralized repositories.

Technically, an identitycan can be implemented as a digital wallet or data container that stores verifiable credentials and references to decentralized identifiers (DIDs). It supports verifiable presentations, consent management, and cryptographic proofs, enabling service providers to verify claims without revealing unnecessary information. Interoperability is often pursued through standards such as W3C Verifiable Credentials, Decentralized Identifiers, and related privacy-preserving mechanisms like selective disclosure and cryptographic proofs.

Governance and privacy considerations emphasize consent, data minimization, portability, revocation, and auditability. IdentityCan aims to give users granular control over which attributes are disclosed, under what conditions, and to whom. The lifecycle includes credential issuance, storage, sharing, renewal, revocation, and revocation propagation across relying parties, with attention to data protection laws and user-friendly interfaces.

Adoption of identitycan concepts varies by jurisdiction and organization. They are commonly discussed in the context of digital identity modernization, cross-border authentication, and access control for services requiring verified attributes. Critics point to usability challenges, governance complexities, and the risk of fragmentation if competing implementations fail to align on standards, potentially hindering broad interoperability.