About

I am the author of two books the Domains of Identity (2020) and A Comprehensive Guide to Self Sovereign Identity (2018).

For the past 20 years, I’ve been working to bring about the creation of a layer of identity for people based on open standards. I co-founded the Internet Identity Workshop in 2005 to bring together technologists who want to see decentralized identity come into being. In the fifteen years our community has been meeting, we’ve created standards being used all over the internet, like OpenID Connect and OAuth and an initiation ground for collaborations that have led to multi-million dollar projects. In 2012 I was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

In 2017, I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Master of Science in Identity Management and Security. I am an instructor in Computer Information Systems at Merritt College in Oakland, California. In 2019, I travelled to India for two months as a New America India-US Public Interest Technology fellow to study Aadhaar their national ID system. I consult with Governments, NGO’s, Startups and Enterprises on decentralized identity technologies.

I am widely recognized for my community leadership. I travel to Africa and Asia at least once a year to ensure the development of person-centric identity is truly global and inclusive. Most recently, I co-founded HumanFirst.Tech with Shireen Mitchell, a project focused on creating space for diverse voices and building a more inclusive industry.

In 2009, I was named one of Fast Company’s The Most Influential Women in Technology.

I’ve founded a number of conferences in various fields focused on their early stages of development.

Community Building & Leadership

I co-founded The Internet Identity Workshop in 2005 with Doc Searls and Phil Windley – it still happens every 6 months. I co-facilitate it with Heidi Nobantu Saul. It is a vibrant hub of global collaboration.

Inspired by IIW I worked with community members to bring the format we use to the APAC Digital Identity Unconference & the Digital Identity unConference Europe.

I founded the Thoughtful Biometrics Workshop. to consider the issues surrounding the of biometrics and identity.

I co-founded the She’s Geeky which hosted unconferneces for women only between 2007 and 2017.

Technology Industry Affiliations

I am an observer in the IATA One ID Working Group.

I have served on the ID2020 Ethics and Risk Committee since 2016.

I was elected in 2022 to the Decentralized Identity Foundation [DIF] Steering Committee.

I served as the co-chair of the DIF Interoperability working group from 2020-2023.

I served as the co-chair of the DIF Secure Data Store working group from 2019-2023.

I actively participate in the Credentials Community Group and the VC Education Task Force.

I am currently member of IDPro, the Trust over IP Foundation and OpenID Foundation.

I founded the Personal Data Ecosystem Consortium in 2010 and let that for 5 years. (we were too early – its still to early). I now advise the Dazzle project.

I serve on the board of Patient Privacy Rights.

In 2017 & 2018 I served. on the was on the ORCID Trust Working Group

I have been the Network Director at Planetwork for over a decade. It was via this community I first learned about digital identity.

Government Liaising

In the winter of 2023 I participated in the DHS Privacy Enhancing Technologies Ideation workshop hosted by SRI.

I chaired the Verifiable Credentials Policy Committee of the Blockchain Advocacy Coalition in California that worked to pass SB786 to make it possible to issue birth certificates using the Verifiable Credentials format.

In 2019 I offered a seminar to the Malyasian Communication and Multimedia Commission and informally presented to agencies in the Thai government working on digital identity.

I’ve done the research for the US Government DHS Science & Technology exploring strategies for ecosystem building, and identifying gaps in private sector identity solutions (find it research here).

I’ve worked directly with the Government of British Columbia on the Expert Forum they did for citizen consultations regarding their digital identity system design.

I was elected three times to the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) Identity Ecosystem Steering Committee, Management Council and served it between 2011 and 2014.

I’ve presented seminars to the part of the New Zealand government working on digital identity.

Papers & Publication

Key Articles

The US Social Security Number system and India’s Aadhaar System Compared, New America, August 2019

Decentralized identity standards can solve Facebook’s problem, The Hill, March 2019

There’s A Facebook Alternative, It’s Called Self-Sovereign Identity, Coindesk, April 2018

BC’s Citizen Engagement: A Model for Future Programs, Re:ID Magazine, Spring 2014

Humanizing Technology, Transformation Open Democracy, September 2017

National! Identity! Cyberspace! Why we shouldn’t freakout about NSTIC, Fast Company Blog, January 2011

Decentralized IDs for Self-Sovereignty of Future Generations: Digital Powers of Attorney to Prevent Boarder Crossing of Children with Forged Documents by Anastasia Miron, Kaliya Young, Sara Golden, Tatiana Chicu submitted to Unite Ideas Block Chain 4 Humanity Challenge

A Field Guide to Internet Trust Models, Awarded best Paper at ID360 Conference, May 2013

Ethical Market Models in the Personal Data Ecosystem, Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, October 2015.

Open protocols and open people: preserving the transformational potential of social media. Transformation, Open Democracy 15 October 2014

RWOT – Rebooting Web of Trust

While I have participated in many past RWoT events. I can no longer recommend them because of how women and people or color experience the events – here are some white papers I have contributed to.

Exploring Sustainable Technology Commons using Appreciative Inquiry, Rebooting Web of Trust 6. Heather Vescent, Kaliya “Identity Woman” Young, Adrian Gropper, Juan Caballero

Six Principles for Self-Sovereign Biometrics, Rebooting web of Trust. John Callahan, Heather Vescent, Kaliya Young, Darrell Duane, Shannon Appelcline, Asem Othman, Adrian Gropper

Amira 1.0.0.0: A Self-Sovereign Web of Trust Engagement Model. A white Paper from Rebooting Web of the Web of Trust IV, Joe Andrieu, Christopher Allen, Shannon Appelcline, Lyre Calliope, Toni Lane Casserly,Tim Chen, David Fields, Michael Haley,Shireen Mitchell, Heather Vescent, Kaliya “Identity Woman” Young,

Embedding Human Wisdom in Our Digital Tomorrow, A White Paper from Rebooting the Web of Trust III Design Workshop. Humanness in Digital Identity Working Group: Daniel Hardman, Kaliya Young, Matthew Schutte

Protecting Digital Identities in Developing Countries: Use Case from Rebooting the Web of Trust II: ID2020 Design Workshop by Wayne Hennessy-Barrett (Kaliya was among 10 contributors), June 2016

Opportunities Created by the Web of Trust for Controlling and Leveraging Personal Data: A White Paper from Rebooting the Web of Trust. Dec 2015 by du5t, Kaliya Young, John Edge, Drummond Reed, Noah Thorp

World Economic Forum – Rethinking Personal Data Project

Personal Data the Emergence of a New Asset Class, February 2011.

Contributor to and Author of Appendices 1 & 2 in Rethinking Personal Data: Strengthening Trust, March 2012

Unlocking the Value of Personal Data: From Collection to Use, February 2013

Public Input to Government Initiatives

Response to the Notice on Stakeholder Engagement on Cybersecurity in the Digital Ecosystem, from National Telecommunications and Information Administration, May 2015

Response to the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, Notice of Inquiry from the NSTIC National Program Office, July 2012. The focus of the NOI was on how the Ecosystem should be governed.

Public Comments on December 2010 FTC White Paper: Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change, A Proposed Business and Policy Framework. A 30 page letter to Letter to The Honorable Jonathan D. “Jon” Leibowitz, Chairman Federal Trade Commission RE Co-Authored with Mary Hodder, Feb 2011.

Response to the December 2010 Commerce Department Privacy Green Paper. Re: Commercial Data Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy: A Dynamic Policy Framework. Submitted to the Department of Commerce, January 2011. Co-Authored with Mary Hodder.

Government Funded Research

Securing Voter Data Systems, March 2019.Report for DHS S&T

Entities Identities and Registries, February 2019. Report for DHS S&T

Gaps in Government Funded Identity Research, August 2017.Written for Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology.

Identity and Systems Leadership for Catalytic Change July 2017. Short Version, Long Version, Resources. Written for Anil John Privacy and Identity Research Portfolio Manager at Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology, Cybersecurity.

Achievements & Awards

Best Paper ID360 Conference, 2013 for A Field Guide to Internet Trust Models

World Economic Forum, Young Global Leader 2012. Kaliya Hamlin tackles our online identities in San Jose Mercury News 03/06/2012

Fast Company Magazine, Most Influential Women in Technology 2009

Digital Identity World Award 2006 for “behind the scenes” work on IIW and the Identity Gang.

Gold Medal, Canadian Women’s National Water Polo Team, Pan-American Games 1999

UC Berkeley Women’s Water Polo Team, 2nd in the country 1996, 1997, 1998