Presentation of Passwordless Success Stories and Awarding of Commendation at WSIS 2025
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a global information society summit organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations specialized agency. This summit addresses key ICT issues such as bridging the digital divide, cybersecurity, AI ethics, and digital sovereignty, bringing together governments, businesses, international organizations, and civil society stakeholders.
WSIS serves as a multilateral international forum aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through ICT, and building an inclusive and secure digital society. Governments, international organizations, corporations, and civil society from around the world participate to discuss critical topics like digital inclusion, AI ethics, and cybersecurity, sharing best practices and exploring avenues for cooperation.
The Passwordless Alliance has promoted passwordless technology education programs and free software that fundamentally strengthen the digital society. As a result, it presented successful case studies from France, Korea, and Ecuador at WSIS. Recognizing its global potential, the Alliance was also selected as an official forum organization of WSIS and hosted a passwordless workshop.
Key Presentation Content at the Passwordless Alliance Sector Forum
At this event, Jonghyun Woo, the editor who developed the ITU-T X.1280 international standard, explained the core principle of X.1280 centered on the concept of “service responsibility-based authentication,” in contrast to traditional user-responsibility authentication methods such as passwords or OTPs. In this model, the service automatically presents the password to the user, who only needs to confirm it, which received strong positive responses.
Christope and Marc from ID3 Technologies in France presented a successful case study on how their customer online service based on KeyCloak transitioned to passwordless authentication. They particularly demonstrated an example of KYC (Know Your Customer) using the VDS (Visible Digital Seal) method, linked with the ISO 22376 international standard, showing how customers who log in passwordlessly can verify their identity to the online service.
Professor Nelson from ESCOM, a cybersecurity education institution in Ecuador, presented a dissemination case showing how, after public education institutions transferred the ITU-T X.1280-based passwordless education program and free software from the Passwordless Alliance, they have been running their own training programs for their citizens and transforming G2C online services in public institutions such as universities and hospitals.
In particular, these two cases were recognized as exemplary models that simultaneously ensure the responsibility of online services and user convenience by allowing users to simply confirm the automatically provided passwords on a smartphone app, eliminating the need for users to remember or manage passwords.
Finally, Chaesub Lee, Chair of the Passwordless Alliance, emphasized why the alliance was established and why online educational institutions and B2C service companies must adopt this technology. He stated, “Until now, the responsibility of proof in authentication has been placed on the user, but the future digital society must shift to a user-centric authentication structure where the service takes responsibility for proof. To achieve this, we provide free software and educational programs that anyone can easily use.” This presentation served as an opportunity to inform the international community that passwordless technology can be more than just a security measure; it can form the foundation of digital sovereignty and inclusion.
Jonghyun Woo, the editor who developed the ITU-T X.1280 international standard, explaining the concept of service responsibility-based authentication and the core principles of X.1280
Diego, Xiaoya, Chaesub, Jonghyun, Marc, Nelson, and Christope served as presenters and moderators at this forum
Gratitude to the Ecuadorian government for establishing the foundation for passwordless adoption within the country
The Ecuadorian government expressed its deep appreciation for the Passwordless Alliance’s efforts in promoting passwordless technology within the country by providing free education and software support. The Passwordless Alliance delivered training on ITU-T X.1280-based authentication technology to Ecuadorian public education institutions and supplied free software to enable practical implementation, thereby strengthening both digital security and user convenience. In recognition of these contributions, the Ecuadorian government awarded a commendation plaque, which Professor Nelson from ESCOM presented directly to Jonghyun Woo, representing the Passwordless Alliance.
