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169 - QR Code Specifications

CBOR Identity Data in QR Code

Tag: 169 (identity-data)

Data Item: JSON Object

Semantics: Identity Data of a Person in QR-Code

Point of Contact: Resham Chugani ([email protected])

IANA Registration: IANA CWT Registry (Search for: 169)

Version: 1.1.0

1. Introduction

This document specifies an updated version of the generic data structure and encoding mechanism for storing the Identity Data of a registered person using any ID platform. It also provides a transport encoding mechanism in a machine-readable optical format (QR).

2. Rationale

Once a person is registered in an identity system, their data serves as the foundation for identification, granting them access to social benefits and government services. The level of assurance in this identification process varies depending on the authentication methods employed. Low assurance is achieved through basic identifiers like ID numbers, demographic data, passwords, or PINs. Conversely, higher assurance levels are attained through one-time passwords (OTP) and biometrics.

Among these methods, biometric-based authentication, such as facial authentication, offers the highest level of assurance as it assures the presence of the individual. While this is effective for online systems & personal phones where verification is conducted on a server or a personal device; offline authentication presents challenges in maintaining a similarly high level of assurance. The offline authentication mechanism should work for people with no phone.

For instance, in a cross-border scenario remote areas often face significant internet connectivity issues. Even when internet access is available, server reliability may be inconsistent. In such circumstances, scanning a QR code containing the person's facial photograph and identity information, alongside assurance that the data is country-signed, provides an additional layer of security and affirmation for the countries involved.

Please note: The trust layers required to sync the country's key are beyond the scope of this document. We assume the app scanning the QR code already has the country's key to verify.

To tackle the challenge above, we propose a standard CBOR-based QR Code that involves embedding a low-resolution image of the person with a minimal demographic dataset within the QR code. This QR code would be digitally signed by the ID authorities (Issuer) and then printed on a physical card. Subsequently, the signed data within the QR code can be utilized for facial authentication. However, it's essential to recognize that QR codes have limitations regarding size. We suggest leveraging CBOR Web Token (CWT) with ED25519/ECC keys to generate a smaller signature and more condensed data.

Claim 169 represents a JSON Object that includes the below table as ID attributes. You can find an illustration of the ID structure contained within Claim 169, where:

3. Semantics

3.1 CBOR Map Structure Overview

Note:

  • All the fields here are optional.

  • The issuer of IDClaim169 is expected to host the JWKS file at the standard .well-known URL. This allows relying parties to verify the signature of the issued IDClaim169.

Attribute
Type
Attribute Name
Description

1

tstr

ID

Unique ID to indicate the PII data

2

tstr

Version

Version of the ID data

3

tstr

Language

Language used in other attributes: Use the three-letter ISO 639-3 language code

4

tstr

Full Name

Full name of the person

5

tstr

First Name

First name of the person

6

tstr

Middle Name

Middle name of the person

7

tstr

Last Name

Last name of the person

8

tstr

Date of Birth

Date of birth in YYYYMMDD format

9

int

Gender

Gender with the following values 1 - Male, 2 - Female, 3 - Others

10

tstr

Address

Address of the person, separator character \n

11

tstr

Email ID

Email id of the person

12

tstr

Phone Number

Contact number of the person: Use E.123 international notation

13

tstr

Nationality

Nationality of the person: Use the two-letter ISO 3166-2 country code

14

int

Marital Status

Marital status - Can contain the following values 1 - Unmarried, 2 - Married, 3 - Divorced

15

tstr

Guardian

Name/id of the entity playing the role of a guardian, such as a mother, father, spouse, sister, legal guardian etc.

16

tstr

Binary Image

Binary image of the person's photograph

17

int

Binary Image Format

Binary image format. Can contain the following values 1 - JPEG, 2 - JPEG2, 3 - AVIF, 4 - WEBP

18

[int]

Best Quality Fingers

An unsigned 8-bit number encoding the hand position of the finger. It must be in the range 0-10, where 0 represents "Unknown", 1-5 represents right thumb to little finger, and 6-10 represents left thumb to little finger in sequence

19.. 49

Unassigned

Unassigned

50.. 74

Reserved

Reserved for Person's Biometrics Data attributes

50

[Biometrics]

Right Thumb

Person's Right Thumb biometrics

51

[Biometrics]

Right Pointer Finger

Person's Right Pointer Finger biometrics

52

[Biometrics]

Right Middle Finger

Person's Right Middle Finger biometrics

53

[Biometrics]

Right Ring Finger

Person's Right Ring Finger biometrics

54

[Biometrics]

Right Little Finger

Person's Right Little Finger biometrics

55

[Biometrics]

Left Thumb

Person's Left Thumb biometrics

56

[Biometrics]

Left Pointer Finger

Person's Left Pointer Finger biometrics

57

[Biometrics]

Left Middle Finger

Person's Left Middle Finger biometrics

58

[Biometrics]

Left Ring Finger

Person's Left Ring Finger biometrics

59

[Biometrics]

Left Little Finger

Person's Left Little Finger biometrics

60

[Biometrics]

Right Iris

Person's Right Iris biometrics

61

[Biometrics]

Left Iris

Person's Left Iris biometrics

62

[Biometrics]

Face

Person's Face biometrics

63

[Biometrics]

Right Palm Print

Person's Right Palm Print biometrics

64

[Biometrics]

Left Palm Print

Person's Left Palm Print biometrics

65

[Biometrics]

Voice

Person's Voice biometrics

66.. 74

Unassigned

Unassigned - For future for Person's Biometrics Data attributes

75.. 99

Unassigned

Unassigned

Biometrics

Attribute
Type
Attribute Name
Description

0

bstr

Data

Biometrics binary data

1

int

Data format

Optional biometrics data format

2

int

Data sub format

Optional biometrics data sub format

3

tstr

Data issuer

Optional biometric data issuer

Data formats

Data format
Description

0

Image

1

Template

2

Sound

3

Bio hash

Data sub formats

Image

Subformat
Description

0

PNG

1

JPEG

2

JPEG2000

3

AVIF

4

WEBP

5

TIFF

6

WSQ

100..200

Vendor specific

Template

Subformat
Description

0

Fingerprint Template ANSI 378

1

Fingerprint Template ISO 19794-2

2

Fingerprint Template NIST

100..200

Vendor specific

Sound

Subformat
Description

0

WAV

1

MP3

3.2 CBOR Map Structure Example

1: www.mosip.io # iss
4: 1787912445 # exp
5: 1756376445 # nbf 
6: 1756376445 # iat
169: # identity-data
  1: 3918592438 # ID
  2: 1.0 # Version
  3: eng # Language
  4: Janardhan BS # Full name
  8: 19880102 # Date of birth
  9: 1 # Gender: Male
  10: New House, Near Metro Line, Bengaluru, KA # Address
  11: [email protected] # Email ID
  12: "+919876543210" # Phone number
  13: IN # Nationality
  14: 2 # Marital status: Married
  16: 03CBABDF83D068ACB5DE65B3CDF25E0036F2C54(...)E54D23D8EC7DC9BB9F69FD7B7B23383B64F22E25F # Binary image
  17: 2 # Binary image format: JPEG
  18: [1, 2] # Best quality fingers
  50: # Right Thumb Biometrics
    # Right Thumb image
    - 0: 03CBA(...)0378C58 # Data
      1: 0 # Image
      2: 1 # JPEG
    # Right Thumb template
    - 0: 03CBA(...)0378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Template
      2: 100 # Vendor specific
      3: VendorA # Biometric data issuer
  51: # Right Pointer Finger Biometrics
    # Right Pointer Finger image
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Image
      2: 6 # WSQ
      3: VendorA # Biometric data issuer
    # Right Pointer Finger template
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Template
      2: 1 # Fingerprint Template ISO 19794-2
      3: VendorA # Biometric data issuer
  58: # Left Ring Finger Biometrics
    # Left Ring Finger image
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Image
      2: 6 # WSQ
      3: VendorA # Biometric data issuer   
    # Left Ring Finger template
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Template
      2: 1 # Fingerprint Template ISO 19794-2
      3: VendorA # Biometric data issuer
   60: # Right Iris Biometrics
    # Right Iris image
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Image
      2: 6 # WSQ
      3: VendorX # Biometric data issuer
    # Right Iris image 
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Image
      2: 6 # WSQ
      3: VendorY # Biometric data issuer
   61: # Left Iris Biometrics
    # Left Iris template
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Template
      2: 100 # Vendor specific
      3: VendorX # Biometric data issuer
    # Left Iris image
    - 0: 36F2C546(...)CB90378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Template
      2: 100 # Vendor specific
      3: VendorY # Biometric data issuer
   65: # Voice Biometrics   
    # Voice sound
    - 0: 03CBA(...)0378C58 # Data
      1: 2 # Sound
      2: 1 # MP3
    # Voice template
    - 0: 03CBA(...)0378C58 # Data
      1: 1 # Template
      2: 100 # Vendor specific
      3: VendorZ # Biometric data issuer

3.2.1 Steps for Claim 169 Compliant QR Code Generation

  • Prepare Identity Data: Start with the sample JSON identity data provided for conversion into Claim 169 format.

{
  "id": "3918592438",
  "fullName": "Janardhan BS",
  "dob": "1984-04-18",
  "gender": "1",
  "address": "New House, Near Metro Line, Bengaluru, KA",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "phone": "+919876543210",
  "nationality": "IN",
  "face": {
    "data": "52494646dc0100005745425056503820d0010000b00d009d012a400040003e913c9b4925
    a322a12a1ccae8b01209690013e295b2585d5ee72395f7fe4a35103d1894a549b58a4febe751ae9a3
    d00cb96f016fc35075f892786b3bcce1deffb2b3e55e3598b7d4913c80a237f1d9e51be7f271cc971
    d63fda0c2c3c34b27a574ec1bbd7752969c56c8c0000fefeffce44d1e6b7ad2535538b4cc7a3cf016
    f5b7d160c4e7202269bc041f0609efdf8e687702cdd6bd64e90b2931c9210f095f3c3bef00a954bfe
    f4e70c76948b9eedf20e5be9e885edbcceada8f6fbdb9037490fa2eecaeaa62de8123028505f9f2eb
    2f781fdfc9b55ff127f12cb657cdc5927866e650426e3032500af838514711241395bfb130fda3c29
    d836527eeb82d92121b5a6f3b951d4ecc51ae1566c58266227b0f02ced0050fe35e0e42a33026a2c4
    4c581fc65ddd135b6a7e5bc888ef852f6c477ccd817b850b90fa3565e11b61e7fe46f965abe210d09
    7ef03eaaf028c4ff9dff5f55ad472464b4920a5958b8c98ef0e0029160f20a8f4d1a02ad3b5ad0c43
    c0b03dc549576cafb6c3d6c36f1014c57d94f6985f8a328dc7aef8df3507041dc440e99fe9acd90cd
    3ede4381d5b3d64064bce4bb8d05113fd901b158698312bdf8a21049288d6006a2c944dae7bc3e240
    00000",
    "dataFormat": "image",
    "dataSubFormat": "png"
  }
}

  • Convert to Claim 169 Format

    • Transform the JSON data into the required Claim 169 structure.

    • Refer to the sample converted data for guidance.

{
	1: "3918592438",
	4: "Janardhan BS",
	8: "1984-04-18",
	9: "1",
	10: "New House, Near Metro Line, Bengaluru, KA",
	11: "[email protected]",
	12: "+919876543210",
	13: "IN",
	62: {
			0: "52494646dc0100005745425056503820d0010000b00d009d012a40004
			0003e913c9b4925a322a12a1ccae8b01209690013e295b2585d5ee72395f7
			fe4a35103d1894a549b58a4febe751ae9a3d00cb96f016fc35075f892786b
			3bcce1deffb2b3e55e3598b7d4913c80a237f1d9e51be7f271cc971d63fda
			0c2c3c34b27a574ec1bbd7752969c56c8c0000fefeffce44d1e6b7ad25355
			38b4cc7a3cf016f5b7d160c4e7202269bc041f0609efdf8e687702cdd6bd6
			4e90b2931c9210f095f3c3bef00a954bfef4e70c76948b9eedf20e5be9e88
			5edbcceada8f6fbdb9037490fa2eecaeaa62de8123028505f9f2eb2f781fd
			fc9b55ff127f12cb657cdc5927866e650426e3032500af838514711241395
			bfb130fda3c29d836527eeb82d92121b5a6f3b951d4ecc51ae1566c582662
			27b0f02ced0050fe35e0e42a33026a2c44c581fc65ddd135b6a7e5bc888ef
			852f6c477ccd817b850b90fa3565e11b61e7fe46f965abe210d097ef03eaa
			f028c4ff9dff5f55ad472464b4920a5958b8c98ef0e0029160f20a8f4d1a0
			2ad3b5ad0c43c0b03dc549576cafb6c3d6c36f1014c57d94f6985f8a328dc
			7aef8df3507041dc440e99fe9acd90cd3ede4381d5b3d64064bce4bb8d051
			13fd901b158698312bdf8a21049288d6006a2c944dae7bc3e24000000",
			1: 0,
			2: 4
	}
}

  • Generate CWT Data

    • Use the Claim 169–formatted data to create the CBOR Web Token (CWT) for QR code generation.

61 / CWT Tag / (
 		18 / COSE_Sign1 Tag  / ( 
				[
				 	h'A10127', / Protected Header /
				  {4: h'6B2D31313031'}, / Unprotected Header / 
				  h'A5016C7777772E6D6F7369702E696F041A6A9160FD051A68B02D7D061A68B02D7D18A95902
				  6DA9016A33393138353932343338046C4A616E61726468616E20425308683139383430343138
				  0961310A78294E657720486F7573652C204E656172204D6574726F204C696E652C2042656E67
				  616C7572752C204B410B756A616E61726468616E406578616D706C652E636F6D0C6D2B393139
				  3837363534333231300D62494E183EA3005901E452494646DC0100005745425056503820D001
				  0000B00D009D012A400040003E913C9B4925A322A12A1CCAE8B01209690013E295B2585D5EE7
				  2395F7FE4A35103D1894A549B58A4FEBE751AE9A3D00CB96F016FC35075F892786B3BCCE1DEF
				  FB2B3E55E3598B7D4913C80A237F1D9E51BE7F271CC971D63FDA0C2C3C34B27A574EC1BBD775
				  2969C56C8C0000FEFEFFCE44D1E6B7AD2535538B4CC7A3CF016F5B7D160C4E7202269BC041F0
				  609EFDF8E687702CDD6BD64E90B2931C9210F095F3C3BEF00A954BFEF4E70C76948B9EEDF20E
				  5BE9E885EDBCCEADA8F6FBDB9037490FA2EECAEAA62DE8123028505F9F2EB2F781FDFC9B55FF
				  127F12CB657CDC5927866E650426E3032500AF838514711241395BFB130FDA3C29D836527EEB
				  82D92121B5A6F3B951D4ECC51AE1566C58266227B0F02CED0050FE35E0E42A33026A2C44C581
				  FC65DDD135B6A7E5BC888EF852F6C477CCD817B850B90FA3565E11B61E7FE46F965ABE210D09
				  7EF03EAAF028C4FF9DFF5F55AD472464B4920A5958B8C98EF0E0029160F20A8F4D1A02AD3B5A
				  D0C43C0B03DC549576CAFB6C3D6C36F1014C57D94F6985F8A328DC7AEF8DF3507041DC440E99
				  FE9ACD90CD3EDE4381D5B3D64064BCE4BB8D05113FD901B158698312BDF8A21049288D6006A2
				  C944DAE7BC3E2400000001000204', / Payload with claim 169 tag /
				  h'74E64803A946B30EC091D138433DD6A288CCBB44A8614DFA6094695B998FBCC9D8AD3EEB56
				  8B3360FA67EEAD58B89F924DB5F58781A80E501E908231EDEE1C05' / Signature / 
				]
		)
)

  • Compress the CWT

    • Apply zlib compression to the generated CWT data.

  • Encode to Base45 and Generate QR Code

    • Encode the compressed CWT using Base45.

    • Use this encoded string to generate the final QR code.

4. Security Considerations

TODO:

  1. Current map structure is in plain text and its not the recommended way to handle privacy. Adoption of SD-JWT or equivalent can be considered.

  2. CWT MUST be signed, create a COSE_Sign/COSE_Sign1 object using the Message as the COSE_Sign/COSE_Sign1 Payload; all steps specified in RFC8152 for creating a COSE_Sign/COSE_Sign1 object MUST be followed.

  3. If the CWT is a COSE_Encrypt/COSE_Encrypt0 object,create a COSE_Encrypt/COSE_Encrypt0 using the Message as the plaintext for the COSE_Encrypt/COSE_Encrypt0 object; all steps specified in RFC8152 for creating a COSE_Encrypt/COSE_Encrypt0 object MUST be followed.

  4. To verify the claims the CWT is a COSE_Sign/COSE_Sign1, follow the steps specified in Section 4 of RFC8152 ("Signing Objects") for validating a COSE_Sign/COSE_Sign1 object. Let the Message be the COSE_Sign/COSE_Sign1 payload. Once signature is valid we SHOULD validate the public key against a preconfigured key. In case encrypted Else, if the CWT is a COSE_Encrypt/COSE_Encrypt0 object, follow the steps specified in Section 5 of [RFC8152] ("Encryption Objects") for validating a COSE_Encrypt/COSE_Encrypt0 object. Let the Message be the resulting plaintext.

The security of the CWT relies upon on the protections offered by COSE. Unless the claims in a CWT are protected, an adversary can modify, add, or remove claims.

Since the claims conveyed in a CWT is used to make identity claim decisions, it is not only important to protect the CWT but also to ensure that the recipient can authenticate the party that assembled the claims and created the CWT. Without trust of the recipient in the party that created the CWT, no sensible identity verification can be made. Furthermore, the creator of the CWT needs to carefully evaluate each claim value prior to including it in the CWT so that the recipient can be assured of the validity of the information provided.

Syntactically, the signing and encryption operations for Nested CWTs may be applied in any order; however, if encryption is necessary, producers normally should sign the message and then encrypt the result (thus encrypting the signature). This prevents attacks in which the signature is stripped, leaving just an encrypted message, as well as providing privacy for the signer. Furthermore, signatures over encrypted text are not considered valid in many jurisdictions.

5. IANA Considerations:

5.1 Registry Content

Claim Name: identity-data Claim Description: Registering the claim for storing identity data of a person, which could be Personally Identifiable Data (PII) mostly used in Foundational/National ID for cross-border interoperability. Claim Key: 169 Claim Value Type(s): map Change Controller: MOSIP Specification Document(s): Section 3, Section 4

6. Acknowledgments

This work is the result of the dedicated efforts of contributors who recognize the critical importance of interoperability and a consistent QR code specification. The revised version has been shaped significantly by the input of our working group committee, comprising members from the following organizations: GetGroup, PWC and Tech 5.

We extend our gratitude to the committee members for their invaluable time and insights throughout the evaluation phase.

6.1 Working Group Committee Members:

GetGroup: Aiman Tarek

PWC: Chaitanya Giri

Tech 5: Bejoy Ak, Nelson Branco, Rahul Parthe

MOSIP: Harini Sampathkumar, Janardhan BS, Mahammed Taheer, Ramesh Narayanan, Resham Chugani, Reeba Thomas, Sanchi Singh, Sasikumar Ganesan, Sreenadh S, Swati Goel, Vishwanath V

7. Authors

Mahammed Taheer ([email protected])

Resham Chugani ([email protected])

Rounak Nayak ([email protected])

Sasikumar G ([email protected])

Sreenadh S ([email protected])

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