Digital Identity Systems and Human Rights: A Legal Framework for Trust and Security
Keywords:
Digital identity, human rights, data protection, privacy, cybersecurity, algorithmic governance, digital inclusion, legal frameworks, biometric authentication, digital transformationAbstract
Digital identity systems have rapidly become foundational infrastructures in contemporary digital governance, shaping how individuals authenticate themselves, access public and private services, and participate in economic and civic life. This narrative review examines the legal, institutional, and human rights implications of digital identity through a descriptive analytical approach. It explores the evolution of identity architectures—including centralized, federated, and decentralized models—and analyzes how data governance, algorithmic decision-making, and biometric verification influence individual autonomy, equality, and privacy. The review highlights that while digital identity has the potential to expand access to essential services and strengthen administrative efficiency, it also poses significant risks related to surveillance, exclusion, discrimination, and data insecurity. These risks become more pronounced when legal safeguards are fragmented, regulatory oversight is weak, or accountability mechanisms fail to keep pace with technological change. The analysis synthesizes international human rights standards, data protection laws, cybersecurity obligations, and emerging regulatory frameworks to outline the components of a rights-based approach to digital identity governance. Central principles such as transparency, proportionality, purpose limitation, user autonomy, and accessible redress mechanisms are identified as essential to ensuring trustworthy and equitable identity systems. The review concludes that digital identity can only serve as an empowering and secure tool when embedded within robust legal frameworks that integrate human rights protections with technical security measures. Without such safeguards, identity infrastructures risk reinforcing social inequalities and enabling intrusive forms of digital control. The study provides a foundation for policymakers, legal scholars, and technologists seeking to design digital identity systems that prioritize human dignity, accountability, and long-term societal trust.
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