TOPPAN Edge and Partisia Blockchain Initiate Joint Development

TOPPAN Edge and Partisia, a Danish software company specializing in cryptography, will conduct a proof-of-concept test at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) from June to September this year. The purpose of the test is to establish a secure and highly convenient digital student ID using facial recognition, decentralized ID technology, and smartphone NFC authentication.

TOPPAN Edge's facial photo collection and authentication cloud service, CloakOne®, will be integrated with Partisia's decentralized ID technology to enable NFC authentication via smartphones, aiming to achieve a new, more secure, and convenient digital student ID. This digital student ID platform meets the standards of eIDAS 2.0, the EU's digital ID verification standard.

Background

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), as of May 2024, there are 813 universities in Japan (86 national, 103 public, and 624 private), with approximately 2.95 million students enrolled, and more than 360 universities issue student IDs with IC chips (FeliCa). These student IDs are primarily in card format, but many universities are facing challenges with the burden and cost of issuing and managing the cards. The workload is particularly heavy when new students are admitted, because student IDs including personal information need to be produced and issued in the short time between confirmation of acceptance and actual enrollment. Furthermore, traditional student ID-based identity verification carries the risk of impersonation because it often assumes the person carrying out verification is the individual themselves, and there is a growing demand for a digital identity verification method that is more reliable, secure, and cost-effective in terms of issuance and management.

In terms of digital personal information management, there has been a growing awareness of issues related to IT platforms that amass large amounts of personal data. This has led to the rise of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), where individuals have the authority to manage their own data and identity. Technologies such as Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) are being promoted worldwide to realize SSI.

Overview of the Digital Student ID and the Proof-of-Concept Test

The digital student ID that the two companies are developing will combine TOPPAN Edge's expertise in facial recognition and personal information management with Partisia's decentralized ID solution to facilitate identity verification using smartphone NFC. It will also be developed as a digital student ID that meets the standards of eIDAS 2.0, the progressive EU regulation for digital ID authentication in cybersecurity measures. This will enable safer management and operation of students' digital IDs and aims to realize a new authentication platform for school facilities that offers high convenience and reliability for identity verification during exams and the use of campus facilities.

The proof-of-concept test will replace the traditional IC-chip-enabled student ID touch-based verification by using smartphone NFC and a distributed data sharing model (Web3), which is the concept for the next iteration of the internet. Partisia Blockchain, which was developed by Partisia and employs advanced multi-party computation (MPC), will be used for activating and utilizing data in Web3. The test aims to confirm Partisia Blockchain’s ability to empower information sharing without compromising confidentiality, integrity and availability, ensuring that data is protected from unauthorized access, leaks, and tampering and can be used when needed.

OIST, the pioneering postgraduate university established by the Japanese Government to explore new frontiers in science, has attracted researchers from more than 50 countries. The proof-of-concept test will include participants from various countries to enable verification with an eye toward global rollout of digital student IDs. Test participants will be students from OIST’s Applied Cryptography Unit, who are learning about the decentralized ID technology, DIDs, and VCs that form the core of the system.

Researchers and students at the Applied Cryptography Unit are studying distributed ID technology, Decentralized Identities and Verifiable Credentials, which are at the core of this system. The participation of researchers from various deep-tech startups in the demonstration will enable the verification of the digital ID card with a view to its global deployment. The demonstration will target people within OIST University.

Future Developments

Based on the results of this proof-of-concept test and other efforts, TOPPAN Edge and Partisia will advance development of a digital student ID, aiming to launch a digital student ID platform for universities such as OIST and other educational institutions by the end of 2025 and to introduce it for students enrolling from April 2026.

About Partisia

Partisia is a company based in Denmark, which ranks among the top in the world in digital competitiveness and digital government progress. They offer a unique DID/VC platform that combines Secure Multi-Party Computation (MPC) technology, which allows computational processing on servers while protecting privacy, with blockchain technology. By combining MPC and blockchain technologies, they ensure transaction transparency while protecting privacy. Partisia is a leading company founded by pioneers who lead the world in the field of MPC and began the world's first commercial use of MPC in 2008.

About TOPPAN Edge

TOPPAN Edge, a group company of TOPPAN Holdings, is committed to solving corporate and social issues with an edgy, cutting-edge approach, including advanced solutions and payment services that support DX and Hybrid-BPO® that fuses digital technologies and operations.

TOPPAN Edge will lead customers to transform their business processes and create a more secure and comfortable communication environment for society.