Privacy by Design Foundation
The Privacy by Design Foundation creates and maintains free and open source software in which the privacy of the user is the most important. The most important application of the foundation is the identity platform IRMA, an acronym of I Reveal my Attributes. The foundation also aims to generally improve the development and usage of open, privacy-friendly and well secured ICT.
With IRMA you can disclose properties (attributes) of yourself in a privacy-friendly and secure way - for example, I am over 18 years old - without disclosing other, non-relevant information about yourself. Using such attributes you can authenticate yourself to for example login on a website.
Additionally, with IRMA you can create attribute-based signatures, see IRMA in detail for more information.
The foundation has two important operational roles in IRMA:
- Development and supporting the IRMA software.
- Supporting infrastructure for issuing attributes.
Collaborations
The Privacy by Design foundation was set-up in 2016. It arose from the Digital Security research group of the Radboud University and from the Privacy and Identity Lab PI.lab. The foundation is an independent non-profit spin-off.
The foundation welcomes collaboration with others to get IRMA up and running. Pilots are now being prepared with the help of a number of other parties, among which:
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SIDN for maintaining and developing IRMA. IRMA becomes Yivi at April 4, 2023.
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The Radboud University, for (strong) authentication of student and employees and for digital signing of, e.g., examination grades.
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NLnet for development of a prototype for identity-based encryption on the basis of IRMA, via the Next Generation Internet programma NGI-PET, under the aegis of the European Union’s DG Communications Networks, Content and Technology, see the announcement `User-friendly email encryption possible with identity-based cryptography’
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SURF, for issuing and verifying of attributes through SURFconext.
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Nuts, for an open infrastructure in healthcare, see also the portal for medical doctors Helder with logon via IRMA.
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Alliander, for authentication and signing within the context of `smart’ homes. In addition, the foundation is structurally supported by Alliander.
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Open University, for joint IRMA software development.
The foundation receives external funding via the following projects.
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Connecting (with) IRMA (2018), via the SIDNfonds, see in particular this project page.
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Citizen Science (2018-2020), via the European Regional Development Fund ERDF; see the ERDF projecten in the province of Gelderland.
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Chronical Pain (2018-2020), via the European Regional Development Fund ERDF, see ERDF projecten in the province of Gelderland.