Microsoft and Mastercard partner to build a universally-recognized digital identity

Mastercard has partnered with Microsoft to help people better manage and use their digital identity. Current identity management systems are complex in proving user identity and managing their data. Following this, Mastercard and Microsoft are provided a way for people to instantly verify their digital identity with whomever they want, whenever they want using a universally-recognized, single digital identity system.

Voting, driving, applying for a job, renting a home, getting married and boarding a plane: what do these all have in common? You need to prove your identity. In partnership with @Microsoft, we are working to create universally-recognized digital identity. https://t.co/He5syqa5g7

— Mastercard News (@MastercardNews) December 3, 2018

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also tweeted about this collaboration.

Each of us needs a digital identity we control, which provides us a secure, instant way to verify our identity with whomever we want, whenever we want. We’re partnering with Mastercard to make this vision a reality. https://t.co/Id2o1c8eM2

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) December 3, 2018

Today’s digital identity landscape is patchy, inconsistent and what works in one country often won’t work in another. We have an opportunity to establish a system that puts people first, giving them control of their identity data and where it is used,” says Ajay Bhalla, president, cyber and intelligence solutions, Mastercard. “Working with Microsoft brings us one step closer to making a globally interoperable digital identity service a reality, and we look forward to sharing more very soon.”

This single digital identity initiative will be powered by Microsoft Azure and built in collaboration with leaders in the banking, mobile network operator and government communities. It will be used to solve three major challenges:

• Identity Inclusion: Improving digital identity for women, children, refugees, and other underrepresented groups to improve their access to health, financial and social services.
• Identity Verification: To help people interact with a merchant, bank, government agency and countless other digital service providers with greater integrity, lower cost and with less friction.
• Fraud Prevention: To help reduce payments fraud and identity theft of various forms.

It will also streamline and improve the speed of commerce and government, financial,  and digital services.

However, a universal identification like this may raise security, and privacy concerns, not to mention the data can be used for surveillance. Microsoft and MasterCard will need to adopt strict measures to protect their user data.

Public opinion on this system has also been largely negative.

Glad I’m not the only one who thinks the @Mastercard @Microsoft ID plan is terrifying. https://t.co/9QslQSGkxa

— Chris Blec (@ChrisBlec) December 5, 2018

Mastercard, Microsoft to Share Customer Information for Digital Advertising and Marketing @MasterCardNews https://t.co/ye51E3FOw5

— Aryeh Goretsky (@goretsky) December 3, 2018

Let Microsoft and Mastercard decide whether you can vote, drive, apply for a job, rent a home, get married or board a plane.

Because why wouldn’t you trust multi-billion dollar multinational corporations with your identity?#YourCyberpunkDystopia

Via @Jbastardov https://t.co/R63rbe4SDj

— Aral Balkan (@aral) December 4, 2018

https://t.co/yyDexR1knz

Interesting @Microsoft and @Mastercard teaming up on decentralised ID. Not sure who I’d trust more to build and govern this: big enterprise or disruptive, idealistic startup like @SovrinID. Would like to see this discussed at some point. #SelfSovereign

— Daniel Lloyd (@bobofgold) December 5, 2018

Mastercard made their decisions clear to a Fast Company editor.
The service will allow the data to sit with its rightful owner–the individual–and wouldn’t involve amassing personal data in honeypots vulnerable to attack. In no situation would Mastercard collect users’ identity data, share it or monitor their interactions. Instead, the data would reside with the trusted party, and our service would merely validate the information already provided, once an individual has decided to do so. This is about giving the individual control over who sees their information and how it’s used.

Go through the press release on Mastercard Newsroom for more information.

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