Salt Lake City, UT, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sovrin Foundation announced the addition of T-Labs (Telekom Innovation Laboratories), Deutsche Telekom’s research and innovation unit, as a founding steward. In that role, T-Labs will dedicate hardware, security and network capacity to assist in the operation of the Sovrin identity network, which uses distributed ledger technology to provide the Internet with a long-missing identity layer. Volunteer stewards are mandated by the Sovrin Foundation’s constitutional Trust Framework, which seeks to achieve diffuse trust in order to prevent any single organization from exerting undue influence over the network.
Sovrin is a global public utility built to provide users -- including individuals, organizations and connected devices -- with self-sovereign identity. Sovrin is the only identity solution with a purpose-built distributed ledger at its core.
“The addition of Telekom Innovation Laboratories as a founding Sovrin steward is a deeply significant event in the development of this technology,” said Dr. Phil Windley, chairman of the Sovrin Foundation. “This is a natural pairing. Like T-Labs, Sovrin believes in innovation that is groundbreaking, sustainable, open, best-in-class and works to greatly improve the lives of people. We are very enthusiastic about this relationship.”
As a steward, T-Labs is one of several organizations spanning a diverse cross-section of the business landscape whose responsibility it is to ensure the network is available, public, and secure.
“Trust is central to all interactions in this age but is difficult to establish when operating over large distances, as the telecom industry does by definition,” said John Calian, VP Blockchain Group, Head of T-Labs. “Establishing trusted identity sources is vital to reducing friction in these interactions, since Deutsche Telekom solutions stands for security, resiliency and trust. Distributed ledger technologies give us the opportunity to bring trust 2.0 to our customers. We’re excited to support the Sovrin network in this way.”
Joining the Sovrin Network is one initiative driven by the Blockchain Group of Deutsche Telekom, established in June 2017. The Blockchain Group drives all the blockchain initiatives carried in Deutsche Telekom and aims to experiment, initiate and develop solutions based on distributed ledger technologies.
The aim of the Sovrin network is to enhance trusting transactions by providing every entity operating on the Internet with true ‘self-sovereign identity’, which refers to a digital identity that is permanent, secure, portable, private and completely trustworthy. The advent of distributed ledger and smartphone technologies make the prospect of self-sovereign digital identity a true possibility for the first time in history.
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About the Sovrin Foundation
The international, non-profit Sovrin Foundation is governed by a constitutional Trust Framework that ensures its independence from government or industry influence and codifies its dedication to providing self-sovereign digital identity for all. The Sovrin network is operated by independent stewards and uses the power of a hybrid distributed ledger as a fast, private and secure framework for providing every person, organization, and connected device a permanent identity with which to transact online and operate securely in everyday life. Learn more about the Trust Framework underlying the Sovrin network here.
About Telekom Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs)
Telekom Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs) is the research and innovation unit of Deutsche Telekom and the first port of call for innovation issues. T-Labs operates in three distinct worlds and brings industry, science and start-ups together. T-Labs works in close cooperation with the Technical University of Berlin and several other universities as Ben Gurion University, TU Wien and Budapest University (ELTE). “The Blockchain Group”, established in June 2017, coordinates all Blockchain initiatives across Deutsche Telekom Group.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2085859d-4270-41b4-96af-29ae3bf64e20