Kaliya Young
I am the author of two books the Domains of Identity (2020) and A Comprehensive Guide to Self Sovereign Identity (2018). For the past 15 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.