What is Identity?

Identity is a multidisciplinary concept. The following excerpt from Survey of Self-Sovereign Identity Ecosystem defines Identity and Digital Identity as:

3.1. Identity

Identity has a long story. Possessing an identity has been of importance from the early times [13]. Depending on the context, the term identity is defined differently [14]. The American Heritage Dictionary defines identity as “The set of characteristics by which a person or thing is definitively recognizable or known,” and “The fact or condition of being the same as something else.” [15].

The word identity originated from the Middle French “identité”, which is derived from Late Latin “identitat-, identitas,” from Latin “identidem,” which is a contraction of “idem et idem,” meaning “same and same” [16].

Although the phrase “identity” is commonly used in everyday discourse and various contexts, it is proven rather difficult to provide an adequate and concise explanation to encompass its every meaning [17].

The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur defines identity as two-fold. The first is known as Idem which means sameness in Latin [18], and the second aspect is defined as Ipse meaning selfhood in Latin [18]. The sameness feature represents the characteristics that remain unchanged, and the selfhood aspect represents the features that are unique. From…