Red Cross, Rohingya Project and others to work with Evernym on blockchain-based self-sovereign digital ID

Digital identity solutions provider Evernym has announced the names of five initial recipients of its Identity for Good Initiative (ID4G).

Announced last year in collaboration with the Sovrin Foundation, ID4G gives select nonprofit organizations (NPOs) access to its technology Accelerator, which offers advanced digital identity tools, education and support for building digital ID. Evernym will waive the $50,000 membership fee for these selected NPOs.

The five recipients are DECODES, iRespond, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Rohingya Project, and Tykn.

The Red Cross is the largest distributor of humanitarian cash in the world -- having given out nearly $1B in 2017. It sought to become a part of the ID4G initiative mainly because Evernym’s technology does not store personally identifiable data on the blockchain.

“We hit the realization that we can no longer do this with a spreadsheet and beneficiary ID cards. We need something more sustainable, something people can establish, create, hold, and access their identities. It brings dignity, choice and economic stimulus to the local markets where humanitarian aid is needed,” said Caroline Holt, head of global cash distribution, Red Cross.

Evernym is the creator of Sovrin, a platform for every person, organization, or IoT device to have “self-sovereign identity” (SSI) which enables them to control their own identity data on their individual devices. It will help eliminate individual passwords, accounts, and troves of toxic data sitting on centralized, and often unsecure, servers.

“We’re happy to be bringing together NGOs, governments and commercial interests alike to increase access to necessary technologies and accelerate innovation for Self-Sovereign Identity. Representation among the nonprofit community is essential for diversity of thought and deployments,” said Timothy Ruff, CEO of Evernym.