Nov 20, 2019 in Coups de projecteur sur les membres by DIACC

Spotlight on Pragma Business and Technologies Inc.

  1. What is the mission and vision of Pragma Business and Technologies Inc.?

Our vision is to give every citizen of the world a verifiable, self-sovereign digital identity (sometimes called decentralized identity), where each citizen is in control of their own personal data.

Our mission is to facilitate and contribute to the development of digital trust ecosystems in the province of Quebec. These ecosystems of trust will be required to fully interoperate with all other systems in Canada and, as standards are being developed and emerge, with the rest of the world. 

1280 Logo Pragma v20

2. Why is trustworthy digital identity critical for existing and emerging markets?

For us, privacy means freedom. And right now, privacy is almost nonexistent, as we are not in control of our personal data and our consent is too often taken for granted or forced upon us. To combat this daily challenge of our freedom, we need to start giving back to the legitimate information holder – the citizen – the control of his or her personal data.

3. How will digital identity transform the Canadian and global economy? How does Pragma Business and Technologies Inc. address challenges associated with this transformation?

Providing all Canadians with a digital identity will have many transformative benefits: people will have better control of their personal data, have an improved user experience with reduced friction, and increased trust. This will also contribute to preventing fraud and increase privacy, which stand as challenges today.
Pragma is interested in playing a role in this ecosystem of trust, and joining the DIACC represents a first step towards playing that role.

4. What role does Canada have to play as a leader in the space?

Canada, being an active leader of the Digital 9 initiative, is already at the forefront of the global digital identity transformation. With its recently developed Digital Charter, Canada can clearly lead the way by contributing, among other things, to the development of W3C standards that will make decentralized digital identity a reality. This transformation is still in its infancy and much of the work remains to be done.

5. Why did Pragma Business and Technologies Inc. join the DIACC?

Over the past decade, the DIACC has had an important role in bringing together the public and private sectors to sit down and jointly develop a digital identity trust framework. For us, it was important to become a member of the DIACC to be at the table with other Canadian leaders that are all working towards the same goal of realizing that vision of a unified digital identity. We want to play an active role in this space, and we want to collaborate and learn.

6. What else should we know about Pragma Business and Technologies Inc.?

There are many ways to contribute to the vast undertaking of making digital identity a reality. We are currently exploring which contributions are most valuable, and have identified some key projects. In the meantime, we are open to evaluating any project collaboration opportunities that show promise and potential value in the pursuit of digital identity in Canada.