(Editing is not complete but comment is welcome)
Exclusion Impact: Underestimating the impact of exclusion on certain groups or individuals.
There is a risk of underestimating the effort and the cost of ensuring that your identity service does not exclude anyone. Digital exclusion is a common experience and it can happen to anyone. All digital services have an obligation to consider how to minimize barriers for their users, however, there are specific challenges around inclusion for digital identity. There is already an intersection between exclusion from services and the ability to prove identity, and as more evidence traditionally used to verify identity moves online, this may be growing. e.g. old people resist
On top of this, where digital identity serves a public sector need, the service typically cannot choose to ignore these barriers because they will need to reach and serve all citizens. Related, providing services that are properly inclusive often requires the creation of support mechanisms, either face-to-face, via video or telephony.
Complexity vs. Control: Balancing the complexity of the system with user control and ease of use.
Identity management involves trust, authentication, privacy, personal information, and security, with complex edge cases and technical standards. A good service should simplify these aspects for users, avoiding overwhelming them with choice or repeated consent requests. However, some users may not care about this, risking not understanding the spectrum of control and convenience. Self-sovereign identity systems, where users hold their identity in a secure digital wallet, offer high levels of control but also greater responsibility. Technical solutions may be less easy for users to understand than centralized systems. [2]
e.g. so many option and info that make user confused which of them should be deliver which notDue to complexity of the system may intimidate users to use wallet-based ecosystems. Also due to complexity of the ecosystem NRENs and GEANT might lose their users.
Usability Concerns and Silos: Providing a user-friendly experience is essential for the adoption and success of identity services. However, the complexity of integrating various systems and platforms within the research and education sector may result in fragmented solutions or "silos," which can negatively impact usability. Inefficient or disjointed user experiences across different platforms or services can lead to frustration and reluctance among users to adopt the identity services. Addressing usability concerns and breaking down silos through cohesive design and integration efforts is necessary to enhance user acceptance and engagement.
Challenges in Coping with Paper Stability: The transition from traditional paper-based issuance and verification processes to digital identity services may pose challenges in maintaining the stability and reliability that paper documents offer. Paper documents have a long-standing reputation for stability and longevity, and replicating this stability in digital formats, particularly in terms of issuance and verification, may be difficult. Ensuring the durability and longevity of digital identity records while maintaining their integrity and authenticity over time is crucial to overcome this challenge.
Agreement Delays: Reaching consensus across many parties with different needs can be time-consuming.
Public digital identity programmes have large numbers of users, public services, and identity attribute services with different needs and requirements. Creating something that both works for users and meets the needs of a wide variety of services is not a simple undertaking.
It can take many years to reach agreement on technical and identity standards, liability, and other policies. For example, the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) have spent 4-6 years carefully working to produce a comprehensive framework covering these agreements across all sectors, which are now being tested. The Australian government started the process of creating a framework for agreement in 2015, and in 2021 they have accredited the first private sector organization to be an identity exchange operator. [2]
References:
[1] https://riskfirst.org/risks/Software-Dependency-Risk
[2] How to control your biggest risks in digital identity — Public Digital