Civil liberties considerations and key principles that any digital identity system must include.
Friday, October 17, 2025
9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Registration opens at 8:00 AM
Vallejo Auditorium, Scott C. Keller Building
Utah Valley University
The State of Utah invites you to attend the State-endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI) Summit—a national gathering for states to lead the way in rethinking how identity works in the digital age.
As digital transactions become foundational to modern life, trust in identity systems must be earned, not assumed. The time has come for a model where states uphold their constitutional role, and individuals regain control over their identity.
A limited number of travel stipends are available for legislators and state officials. To see if you may qualify, please contact Utah Chief Privacy Officer Chris Bramwell at [email protected].
Livestream Link: Coming soon
Please check-in for the event at the registration table, located just outside the Vallejo Auditorium of the Keller Building (KB 101).
9:00 AM Welcome and Opening RemarksAs Utah takes steps toward implementing a State-Endorsed Digital Identity, SB260 has set the foundation for a future where residents can securely verify their identity online. This stakeholder roundtable will bring together key policymakers, technology leaders, and industry experts to discuss the vision, opportunities, and challenges of digital identity in Utah. Location: Vallejo Auditorium, 101 Keller Building, UVU (see map) Livestream Link: Coming Soon
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9:40 AM Keynote: The Human Cost--Why SEDI MattersSpeaker: Cindy GeorgeA first-person account of the harms families in Utah and across the U.S. face from sextortion and identity abuse, including the story of Jake Curtis. This session grounds SEDI’s goals in lived reality and the urgent need for safer, privacy-preserving identity infrastructure. KUTV
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10:00 AM What Is Digital Identity?Speaker: Ryan HurstDigital identity is a set of verified attributes, such as your name, date of birth, or credentials, securely bound to you. This session explains what digital identity is and why, without verifiable digital identity, trust and authenticity online will erode and harms will persist.
10:10 AM Current Lay of the Land: Verifiable Credentials & Digital IdentitySpeaker: Daniel HardmanA fast, neutral survey of today’s VC/digital identity market: adoption patterns, national and international usage, what US states and other countries (EUID, WeChat, Estonia, Singpass, etc)) are doing, and where gaps remain. Covers how key standards and ecosystems—KERI/ACDC, W3C VCs, DIDs, and mDL interoperability—fit together and their adoption levels.
10:20 AM Centralized Identity vs. Decentralized Identity: Implications for Utah, the U.S., and the WorldSpeaker: Phil WindleyA strategic look at the paradigm shift from centralized to decentralized identity. Dr. Windley will explore how decentralized identity frameworks can enhance resilience, protect liberty, and empower individuals while avoiding the vulnerabilities of centralized repositories. He will highlight what this means not only for Utah, but also for the United States and the global digital identity ecosystem—framing SEDI as part of a worldwide movement toward trustworthy, interoperable, and citizen-centric identity systems.
10:30 AM Backward Compatibility & Continuous ImprovementSpeaker: Joe Jackson, Utah Chief Technology OfficerThis session explains why backward compatibility and continuous improvement are essential to maintaining trust in digital identity. Joe Jackson will outline how Utah’s SEDI approach allows legacy credentials to function during transition periods, while publishing clear roadmaps for deprecating outdated standards. This protects citizens and businesses from disruption, preserves investments, and ensures the identity ecosystem continuously evolves to meet security, privacy, and trust requirements.
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Use this brief break for personal needs and to move upstairs (KB 405. 407, & 409) for additional sessions.
11:10 AM Endorsement and Protection of Individual Digital Identity Is a State RoleSpeaker: Representative Paul CutlerProofing and endorsing identity is a core responsibility of the state, just as it has been for vital records and driver's licenses. This session highlights why state-endorsed identity is the bedrock of trust in our society, and why the federal government's role should remain limited to proofing and endorsing non-native born individuals and issuing passports.
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Breakout DiscussionProofing and endorsing identity is a core responsibility of the state, just as it has been for vital records and driver’s licenses. This session highlights why state-endorsed identity is the bedrock of trust in our society, and why the federal government’s role should remain limited to proofing and endorsing non-native born individuals and issuing passports. |
12:30 PM Civil Liberties Perspective on Digital Identity & SEDISpeaker: Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLUCivil liberties considerations and key principles that any digital identity system must include.
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1:15 PM State-Endorsed Digital Identity Is Critical Public InfrastructureSpeaker: Alan Fuller, Utah Chief Information OfficerSEDI will be critical public infrastructure. From the perspective of a state CIO who is responsible for statewide information technology infrastructure, why digital identity itself will become a target of nation states. This session frames SEDI as critical public infrastructure—essential to democracy, requiring state-of-the-art security, decentralization for resilience, and cooperative defense through a multi-state consortium.
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1:35 PM Individual Control, Autonomy & GuardianshipSpeaker: Timothy Ruff, Chief Strategy Officer, Digital Trust VentureSEDI will empower people, not systems or other entities. This session outlines how individuals control when, where, and how their credentials are used, including consent for disclosures, selective disclosure, revocation/renewal, and the right to paper so no one is forced into a digital-only regime. It also covers guardianship and delegation so parents, caregivers, or designated agents can securely act on behalf of minors or dependent adults while preserving dignity and access.
Group Discussion––Guardianship: Protection of ChildrenAttendees will have an open discussion about necessary public policy and technical controls in relation to state-endorsed digital identity. Facilitators will assist the group with discussion and will collect information discussed by the group to inform version 1.0 of the SEDI Framework. Proof of Concept DemonstrationsMinor Guardianship and website age assurance Senior Adult Guardianship and website Multisign authorization Participants: Clear Foundation on Utah Life |
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2:15 PM Zero Surveillance, Zero TrackingSpeaker: Steve McCown, Utah Chief Information OfficerSEDI will have zero surveillance and zero tracking. For SEDI to earn public trust, privacy can’t be a toggle—it has to be the architecture. This session sets out the approach for a surveillance-free identity ecosystem: wallets, credentials, and verifiers designed and certified to contain no latent tracking, no telemetry, and no hidden monitoring; strict limits on compelled device access; and bans on profiling or scoring.
2:30 PM Economic Impact and Opportunity of SEDISpeaker: Simon Wood, former CEP of UbisecureSEDI – A case study of Economic benefit State-Endorsed Digital Identity brings utility and convenience for individuals; including organization identity enables further significant economic gains. Hear how the Finnish tax office saved 99% of the costs in processing tax transactions after implementing advanced, state-endorsed digital identity that combines individual and organizational identities. |
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Digital identity is no longer a back-office function. It is infrastructure for the digital economy, a gatekeeper of access, and a cornerstone of individual autonomy. But current approaches—often centralized, opaque, or commercially driven—fail to protect the rights and dignity of individuals.
State Endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI) offers a new path forward that is—