Protection of confidentiality, privacy and ownership assurance in a blockchain based decentralized identity management system

A computer program product for improving security in a blockchain network of devices by protecting identity asset confidentiality, wherein the blockchain network of devices supports a blockchain, wherein the computer program product comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage device having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable and executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:

• establishing co-ownership by an identity asset for an identity asset provider and an entity, wherein the identity asset describes the entity;
• directing a member of the blockchain network of devices to associate identities of the identity asset provider and the entity based on their co-ownership of the identity asset by using commitments between the identity asset provider and the entity and based on collaborative proof of ownership of the identity asset using zero knowledge proofs in the blockchain network of devices;
• registering details of a creation of the identity asset with a trusted registrar service;
• posting a signed declaration of anonymous ownership of the identity asset along with a unique hash value of the identity asset to the trusted registrar service;
• verifying whether a posted hash value of the identity asset is a duplicate of one of previously posted unique hash values of identity assets related to previously posted declarations of anonymous ownership of identity assets;
• and
• posting the declaration of anonymous ownership of the identity asset to the blockchain network of devices in response to the unique hash value of the identity asset not being found to be a duplicate.

A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more computer readable non-transitory storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:

• program instructions to establish co-ownership by an identity asset for an identity asset provider and an entity, wherein the identity asset describes the entity;
• program instructions to direct a member of the blockchain network of devices to associate identities of the identity asset provider and the entity based on their co-ownership of the identity asset by using commitments between the identity asset provider and the entity and based on collaborative proof of ownership of the identity asset using zero knowledge proofs in the blockchain network of devices;
• program instructions to register details of a creation of the identity asset with a trusted registrar service;
• program instructions to post a signed declaration of anonymous ownership of the identity asset along with a unique hash value of the identity asset to the trusted registrar service;
• program instructions to verify whether a posted hash value of the identity asset is a duplicate of one of previously posted unique hash values of identity assets related to previously posted declarations of anonymous ownership of identity assets;
• and
• program instructions to reject a declaration of anonymous ownership of the identity asset in response to the hash value of the identity asset being found to be a duplicate.