The Global Identity Foundation

What The Global Identity Foundation does

The Global Identity Foundation is a UK-registered not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (with pending charity status) developing "Identity 3.0" — an open, vendor-neutral and government-neutral framework intended to replace fragmented digital identity systems with a single, globally accepted, privacy-enhancing digital identity solution. The foundation serves governments (electronic voting, citizen services), corporations and enterprises (employee and customer identity), and individuals (privacy-preserving single identity), with secondary engagement from academic institutions and the security/privacy community for research, validation, and standards contribution.

Its core intellectual property comprises the Identity 3.0 Framework and a corpus of standards documents — ID3 High Level Architecture, ID3 Protocol, ID3 Schema Design, Identity 3.0 Principles, a primers series, and sector-specific briefing papers covering banking, mobile, IoT, and cloud. Technical differentiators include privacy-enhancing architecture (segmented digital presence, selective disclosure), ubiquitous authentication across devices and organisations, and a design that supports all entities (not just people) in a unified identity ecosystem. The work extends the foundational Identity Commandment and de-perimeterisation concepts originated within the Jericho Forum under The Open Group.

The organisation does not sell products or services. Its business model is sponsorship, membership, and intellectual contribution; the Identity 3.0 output is intended as an open standard that any party can implement. Go-to-market is content- and community-led through a website, dedicated blog, LinkedIn GiD Group, Twitter, an extensive publications library, and speaking engagements at venues including the RSA Conference and QCon London. Headcount is reported at 1-10, and the foundation is led by CEO Paul Simmonds (former global CISO at AstraZeneca and ICI, Jericho Forum co-founder) and COO Dr. Steve Moyle (founder of Secerno, acquired by Oracle).

Name

The Global Identity Foundation

Legal name

Global Identity Foundation

Website

https://globalidentityfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Global Identity Foundation is a UK not-for-profit standards body developing Identity 3.0, an open, vendor-neutral framework for a single, privacy-enhancing global digital identity serving governments, enterprises, and individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Identity Standards

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Federation & Identity Standards (SAML/OIDC/OAuth, Federation Hubs) (HDADAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Identity Orchestration & Policy (Zero Trust Access, Conditional Access) (HDADAAAL), Single Sign-On (SSO) & Federation (SAML/OIDC, Identity Providers) (HDAEAJAB)

Keywords

• Digital identity standards
• Identity framework development
• Privacy-enhancing identity
• Open identity protocol
• Global identity ecosystem

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Global Identity Foundation develops the "Identity 3.0" framework and associated specifications (high-level architecture, protocol, schema design, primers, principles, and sector briefing papers). The offering is an open, vendor-neutral, privacy-enhancing global standard for digital identity intended to replace fragmented username/password-based systems with a single, ubiquitous identity that supports all entities (not just people) in a unified, globally trusted ecosystem. Engagement with the foundation occurs through sponsorship, membership, and intellectual contribution rather than commercial transactions.

Product overview

The Global Identity Foundation is a not-for-profit standards body developing "Identity 3.0" — an open, global identity solution and standard. Rather than a commercial product portfolio, the organization produces foundational intellectual property including the Identity 3.0 Architecture, Identity 3.0 Protocol, Identity 3.0 Schema Design, and various primers (executive summary, high-level requirements, design criteria, trust models). The work extends from Jericho Forum's original identity commandments and aims to create a vendor-neutral, globally accepted framework for digital identity that supports all entities (not just people) in a single identity eco-system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Identity 3.0 Framework Foundational framework and architectural approach developed by the Global Identity Foundation to enable a single global digital identity solution that is privacy-enhancing, globally scalable, and supports all entities (not just people) in a unified identity eco-system. The framework is offered as an open standard for adoption by governments, enterprises, and other stakeholders.
• ID3 High Level Architecture High-level architectural specification defining the components, layers, and interactions within the Identity 3.0 ecosystem, used by implementers and reviewers evaluating the framework.
• ID3 Protocol Technical protocol specification for implementing the Identity 3.0 standard across different systems and platforms.
• ID3 Schema Design Schema design specifications for identity data structures within the Identity 3.0 framework.
• Identity 3.0 Principles Core principles document outlining the foundational requirements and design criteria for the Identity 3.0 solution.
• Identity 3.0 Primers Educational primer series covering Why Identity 3.0?, Why Identity Ecosystems Fail, Anonymity at the Root of an Identity, Personas as a Basis for Context & Trust, Privacy Primacy and Agency, The Need for Usability, and The Need for a Core Identity.
• Briefing Papers by Sector Sector-specific briefing papers covering Banking & Finance, Phone & Mobile Sector, Infrastructure & Internet of Things, Cloud IaaS & PaaS, and Cloud SaaS.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, core and minor.

• Jericho ForumfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Global Identity Foundation builds on foundational work from the Jericho Forum, including their Identity Commandment and conceptual frameworks for de-perimeterisation. GIF co-founders were key members of the Jericho Forum, and the relationship serves as the intellectual foundation for GIF's approach to global identity.
• OpenGroup (Jericho Forum trademark holder)foundationalTechnology or IntegrationThe Jericho Forum operates under The Open Group, which holds the trademark. GIF references Jericho Forum Identity Commandment and video content, indicating ongoing relationship with OpenGroup's standards and frameworks.
• UK Government and Regulatory BodiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIF is a UK-registered not-for-profit company limited by guarantee with pending charity status, operating from UK offices. The foundation engages with governments globally to develop standards that meet regulatory requirements while maintaining neutrality.
• Cloud Security AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIF co-founder Paul Simmonds served as co-editor of Cloud Security Alliance's 'Cloud Security Guidance version 3', indicating collaboration on cloud security standards that intersect with identity frameworks.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force): Open standards organization that develops internet protocols including those underpinning identity (OAuth, SAML, TLS). Comparable as a peer standards body, though far larger and broader in scope than GIF's identity-only focus.

Direct peers

• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): International standards organization for the World Wide Web, with active working groups on Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identifiers. Peer because W3C defines overlapping identity-relevant standards (VC, DID) that any Identity 3.0 implementation must interoperate with.
• OpenID Foundation: Non-profit industry standards body that develops and promotes OpenID Connect and related identity protocols. Highly comparable to GIF: both are vendor-neutral organizations stewarding open identity standards adopted across the web, and both work with the same enterprise and government stakeholders.
• FIDO Alliance: Industry association developing open authentication standards (FIDO2, WebAuthn, passkeys) that eliminate passwords. Highly comparable as a non-profit standards body tackling universal authentication — a core tenet of GIF's Identity 3.0 ubiquitous authentication framework.
• The Open Group: Global vendor-neutral consortium that holds the Jericho Forum trademark and publishes TOGAF, O-ISM3, and other standards. Direct peer because GIF is explicitly built on Jericho Forum identity work, making The Open Group both a standards peer and a foundational relationship.
• Kantara Initiative: Non-profit providing frameworks and assurance programs for digital identity and personal data management. Directly comparable to GIF: similar non-profit identity-standards focus, similar emphasis on privacy and consent, and overlapping enterprise/government stakeholder base.
• Sovrin Foundation: Non-profit stewarding the Sovrin Network for self-sovereign identity. Directly comparable: non-profit, mission-aligned on privacy-enhancing identity, and similar stakeholder engagement model — though Sovrin operates an actual network rather than a standards framework.
• Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF): Non-profit engineering-driven organization focused on foundational standards for decentralized identity (DIDs, verifiable credentials). Directly comparable to GIF's mission of building a globally interoperable identity ecosystem, with similar stakeholder mix of vendors, governments, and academics.
• Trust over IP Foundation: Non-profit developing a complete architecture for internet-scale digital trust. Directly comparable to GIF: similar mission of interoperable global trust frameworks, similar stakeholder composition (governments, vendors, academics), and similar governance/governance-stack orientation.

Emerging players

• Cloud Security Alliance: Non-profit that publishes security best-practice frameworks including identity-relevant guidance. Peer through both subject-matter overlap and an explicit organizational tie (GIF CEO Paul Simmonds co-edited CSA's Cloud Security Guidance v3).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/gid_foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-identity-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Global Identity Foundation