The Shadow in the Garden: Assumptions in Digital Identity Architecture for the Public Sector

Abstract

This paper analyzes the development of a digital identity architecture for the public sector in practice. We used the grounded theory method to analyze empirical data from a software development project focused on the digital identity wallet as a solution for electronic identification in online public services. To explain how the development was approached and what architectural assumptions were behind it, we build a theory of shadow identity management. Shadow identity management is the blind spot in digital identity systems which are designed to refactor established practices of identity management at the cost of integration with their own environment.