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only how an entity can be identified in an IoT environment, but also the ways with
which it can interact with other entities and the system itself providing data. The
reason for which these models are so abstract is that IoT can be scaled and designed
in many different ways, thus making the implementation of IAM a component that
needs to be adapted depending on the IoT environment and architecture.
At the same time, digital identity is also evolving due to the significance of its use
both in any IT implementation and in users’ everyday life. Its uses find application in a
wide spectrum of scenarios, from the simplest communication between a smartphone
with a light bulb in a smart home, up to the identification of a digital twin in any
environment. The SSI model is considered to be the last stage of the digital identity
evolution, which can be owned and managed by entities themselves.
The combination of all the aforementioned technologies in this chapter is a matter
yet open for further research and development. Performance in terms of speed as well
as data consumption is a matter which needs to be carefully considered, especially for
low-end devices operating on the edge. Many IoT systems are dependent on the time
at the scale of milliseconds and at the same time cryptography (such as generating
ZKPs) is rather costly in time and hardware in order to be fully implemented on the
edge. A blockchain-enhanced IAM system adapted to IoT environments is to offer
truly decentralized digital IAM, while every device and user is able to verify and be
verified across an IoT network in real-time environments.
Consideringof howmuchmost, if not all, of thecomputer andinformationsystems
rely on the digital identity in order to provide authentication, authorization, as well
as integrity and security, it is unquestionable that the decentralized identity is the
future of a more secure and impenetrable identity management. Looking through
the IoT point of view, decentralization is inevitable in order to offer scalability and
distribute the data processing as well as the functionality throughout an IoT network.
Blockchain, a decentralized technology that integrates cryptography all the way to
its core functionalities, can lead the way onto a more decentralized and secure IoT
especially when addressing the identity management issue.
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