DNS-IdM: a blockchain identity management system to secure personal data sharing in a network

Identity management (IdM) is a method used to determine user identities. The centralized aspect of IdM introduces a serious concern with the growing value of personal information, as well as with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The problem with currently-deployed systems and their dominating approach, with identity providers (IdP) and single-point services, is that a third party is in charge of maintaining and controlling the personal data. The main challenge to manage data securely lies in trusting humans and institutes who are responsible for controlling the entire activity. Identities are not owned by the rightful owners or the user him/herself, but by the mentioned providers. With the rise of blockchain technology, self-sovereign identities are in place utilizing decentralization; unfortunately, the flaws still exist. In this research, we propose DNS-IdM, a smart contract-based identity management system that enables users to maintain their identities associated with certain attributes, accomplishing the self-sovereign concept. DNS-IdM has promising outcomes in terms of security and privacy. Due to the decentralized nature, DNS-IdM is able to avoid not only the conventional security threats, but also the limitations of the current decentralized identity management systems.