Many are understandably concerned that the great invention called the Internet, initially created by researchers for sharing information, has become a major threat to democracy, security and trust. The majority of these challenges are caused by stolen, misused or fake identities. To mitigate these risks, some claim that we have to choose between security, usability and privacy.
But there is a better way.
Last year, Yubico began collaborating on an open standards identity project that now creates a significant opportunity for shaping future digital identity systems across Europe and beyond.
The wwWallet started as an open source research project with contributions from the Greek Universities Network (GUnet), Swedish University Computer Network (SUNET), and Yubico. Summarized in its initial phase in a past blog, this open web-based digital identity wallet supports passkeys in YubiKeys and in built-in providers, and is gaining support across the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet large scale pilots. After being encouraged to compete in the German ID Funke project and to apply for EU tenders, it became clear to us that wwWallet is solving problems for global digital identity that no one has solved before.
In September, Apple included support for the WebAuthn PRF extension in the iOS 18 release, which means that wwWallet now works on all major platforms. With this important milestone achieved, I recognized the need for a new, independent organization that could help fuel and coordinate future development of the wwWallet project. Along with my collaborators, I am convinced that the world needs a fully platform independent, secure and open source digital wallet solution. I also firmly believe this is an important part of the future for FIDO and passkeys authentication.
That is why, 17 years after co-founding Yubico, I have decided to establish and fund the Siros Foundation. Starting with the wwWallet, the nonprofit organisation will offer open source code and tools, reference implementations, education and technical support for any organization to build interoperable and trusted identity systems at scale.
While I continue to serve on the Yubico board and advise on strategic development and communication, I will also dedicate a significant amount of time as I take on the new role of Executive Chairman for Siros Foundation.
With a name inspired by Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, Siros Foundation will shine a light on the global digital identity challenge and empower individuals on their secure digital journey. And committed to the word serious we will help ensure long-term viability, stability, security and privacy for frictionless, borderless digital identity for all.
Watch a demo video of the wwWallet project below. More information about the Siros Foundation, visit siros.org
