The TrustED project’s main objective is to provide citizens and volunteers with a secure and portable digital identity tool that allows them to collaborate with various organizations while maintaining the privacy and trust of all those involved. To this end, on the 11th, 12th and 17th of December, Fundación Cibervoluntarios held the first focus groups for the TrustED project with their organisation’s volunteers in Madrid, Spain. The objectives of this collaboration were to:
● Understand the onboarding process of volunteers
● Learn about the participants’ understanding of digital identity and data preservation
● Discuss the requirements and preferences of NGO staff and volunteers for managing and verifying personal data
The first two focus groups were in-person group interviews. The first exercise interviewed participants aged between 18 and 30, followed the next day by people over 50. The third insight gathering was held online with different 18 to 30 year old volunteers in order to allow for a larger pool of participants and therefore increase diversity.
Two of Cibervolutarios’ researchers acted as moderators while participants discussed and shared their experiences and perspectives, providing valuable information to understand volunteers’ awareness of data and digital identity, as well as their needs regarding their management.
The purpose of this research was to find information regarding TrustED’s direct beneficiaries’ data security practices, knowledge of privacy and digital identity, as well as data security needs for developing the TrustED tool and organisational needs for the development of the tool. The results of this research are anonymous but proved very useful. The three groups had comfortable and fruitful interactions that led to a heightened understanding of the general public’s awareness of data security.
The information gathered from these interviews will allow TrustED to create a self-sovereign identity management system and portable digital identity tool that answers to the needs of volunteers. The creation of these structures through an understanding of how people consider and share digital information, will allow for a safer digital environment.
Keep up to date with TrustED’s news to see how this project develops!
The TRUSTED project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under agreement no. 101168467.
