Self-Sovereign Identity in Utah's new SEDI Bill Draft

Utah is currently working on their State-Endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI) program. Their newest bill, SB 275, is a great piece of legislation that protects user autonomy and agency.

I've written up an early analysis of this bill in my "Musings of a Trust Architect" series

• "Progress toward a State-Endorsed Identity (SEDI) in Utah": https://www.lifewithalacrity.com/article/Musings-SEDI/

Two things jumped out. First, SB275 includes a bill of rights for digital identity. The very first entry recognizes that identity is "innate to the individual's existence and independent of the state" — which is remarkably close to the Principle #1 "Existence" that I wrote as part of my original SSI principles a decade ago. Seeing a legislature arrive there is powerful.

Second, the Duty of Loyalty. Verifiers, wallet providers, and relying parties must act in the "best interests of an individual." Compare that to surveillance capitalism's current model and the difference is stark. This evokes agency law in a way that echoes the Principal Authority work we did in Wyoming.

• "Principal Authority: A New Perspective on Self-Sovereign Identity" https://www.lifewithalacrity.com/article/Principal-Authority/

But here's what I think we need to watch out for: these duties and rights are only as durable as the political will behind them. The Duty of Loyalty as written can't be signed away in a clickwrap — it's a statutory minimum that has priority over contract law. But carve-outs can be lobbied into existence.

We should beware platforms bearing gifts: the Googles and Facebooks who will push for exemptions that make these protections optional. Regulatory capture is the real threat to everything good in this bill.

Take a look at SB275 if you haven't yet — it's long but quite readable: https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/SB0275.html Give it your support!

— Christopher Allen