Shaping Governance in Self-Sovereign Identity Ecosystems: Towards a Cooperative Business Model

The Internet has undoubtedly created great opportunities for consumers. With the digitalization wave breaking, Single Sign-On services emerged that satisfy the desire for seamless online journeys and provide users with their digital identities. On a global scale, oligopoly structures evolved where tech giants primarily manage digital identities and personal data. Conversely, recent developments stemmed from the desire for data privacy, digital sovereignty, and self-determination, both from the user perspective and legislature. In line with recent discussions, this study focuses on Self-Sovereign Identity, a new paradigm that promises independence from intermediary identity providers. We follow an appeal for further research on business aspects and strategic alliances and adopt an exploratory research approach with semi-structured interviews. We identify cooperatives as suitable to govern Self-Sovereign Identity Ecosystems, shape their business model along Al-Debei and Avison’s V4 Business Model dimensions, and outline paths for future inquiries