Introduction

Across the European Union (EU), there have been moves to bring about a "European Digital Identity" service that will enable EU citizens with a national identity card to have a digital identity corresponding to that card. It is expected that by 2024, every Member State of the European Union should be a part of this European Digital Identity programme. According to the https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-digital-identity_en, approximately 60% of EU citizens in 14 EU Member States are able to use their eID across the border. Furthermore, according to the same institution, only a measly 14% of key service providers across Member States allow cross-border authentication such as proving someone's identity without the need for internet access. A Eurobarometer study found that 72% of users want to know how their data is used by their social media account; the same study found that 63% of EU citizens would like a secure single digital ID for all services.

A similar problem exists within the travel sector. Although passports exist, they do not often have a digital counterpart. This proposal suggests that the use of the blockchain can be used within the travel sector to to speed up boarding times at the gates, so much so that gates may very well not be needed in a future world of travel.

What is Ethereum and the blockchain?

Many of us have heard of the "blockchain" and it is frequently associated with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, yet the blockchain is so much more. The blockchain is effectively a distributed ledger in which computers share and run software and control how information is distributed. One of the advantages of blockchain is that any data added to a public blockchain is available for all to see, and information is very hard to tamper with. This means that the blockchain is an emerging technology that can help with verification and authentication, things which passports aim to do but require people at the gates to facilitate and manage. Ethereum is an implementation of blockchain technology.

How can Ethereum help with facilitating onboarding in aviation?

Ethereum can help with facilitating onboarding in aviation, so much so that passport gates may be a thing of the past, by requiring all travellers across the world to upload their passport information onto the Ethereum blockchain. It is not currently possible to alter this blockchain, compared to physical passports. This would help reduce identity theft and passport fraud significantly and would also reduce the need for reliance on proofing at checkpoints/at the gate. Furthermore, with the blockchain, aviation companies and intelligence authorities can see all previous journeys made, helping in the fight against terrorism and international crime where a particular passenger has visited a "problematic" state.

One of the standards in which this can be managed is using the ERC-725 standard, which was proposed by Fabian Volgelsteller and is a smart contract that manages how identities can be defined, configured and used within Ethereum.

With Ethereum, passport gates may very well be a thing of the past.

For the judges: In order to play the presentation, please open the file with Microsoft PowerPoint and click "From Beginning" under "Slideshow". The presentation is around 2 minutes and 40 seconds long. If you have difficulties opening the file, please do get in touch with me. Ordinarily this would be uploaded onto YouTube but given the time constraint and time to upload, this was not a possibility.

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