Civic (CVC) is a blockchain-based identity management solution that strives to provide individuals and businesses with the tools they need to control and protect personal identity information. The platform aims to transform the way we perceive identity verification by giving users more control over their personal data, while enabling them to access a wide range of services without the need to share excessive amounts of personal information. Civic's identity verification solution aims to employ distributed ledger technology to authorize identity usage in real time. The Civic ecosystem is powered by a unique utility token known as the Civic token (CVC), which is used for the settlement of identity-related transactions between Civic participants.

Civic operates by using distributed ledger technology to authorize identity usage in real time. This technology is used to share information with Civic partners after authorization by the user. Unlike some other identity management services, Civic users store all their sensitive data on their mobile device. Users can authorize the sharing of specific personal data by providing a biometric signature through the Civic app. The Civic token (CVC) is used for the settlement of identity-related transactions between Civic participants, such as between a customer and service provider. Users may receive CVC tokens as compensation for completing a variety of tasks, such as signing up for a service through the platform or introducing new users.

Civic aims to make it easier for users to verify their identity with service providers, while still retaining full control over their personal information. It allows businesses to onboard users faster using its AI-powered verification system, which when combined with human review, helps businesses reduce fraud and stay compliant with AML regulations and OFAC rules. The Civic wallet is a mobile cryptocurrency wallet that can be used to store a handful of popular cryptocurrencies. The app also serves as a digital identity management solution. Health Key is an app that allows employers to securely verify the health status of employees, ensuring they are healthy enough to return to the workplace after an infection with COVID19.

Civic was co-founded in 2015 by Vinny Lingham and Jonathan Smith and was launched in 2018, following a sell-out initial coin offering (ICO) the year prior. Vinny Lingham is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded several firms, including a South Africa-based investment fund known as Newtown Partners and Gyft — a digital card platform. Jonathan Smith, the current CTO of the platform, has more than 15 years of experience in the banking industry. The Civic team includes a host of individuals with extensive experience in their respective fields, including COO Chris Hart, who has two decades of experience in senior finance. As of late December 2020, there are exactly 670 million CVC tokens in circulation, representing 67% of the maximum 1 billion CVC total supply.

Civic introduces a blockchain-based identity layer that establishes trust between parties using Identity.com, an ecosystem that provides a method for verifying credentials that can be used across platforms. Civic's product line is designed with user data privacy in mind and creates solutions that assist companies in meeting Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements. The protocols within the Identity.com ecosystem are powered by the ERC-20 compatible Civic token (CVC). Civic's identity management tools, such as Civic Pass, allow users to verify their identity once and then reuse their verified identity wherever the company’s services are used. This approach is intended to support security, user control, and streamline platform onboarding, reducing fraudulent activities like online impersonation and account takeover attacks. By considering blockchain-based digital identity solutions like Civic’s, institutions may consider engaging in decentralized finance (DeFi), acknowledging the design of its underlying architecture.

The CVC token, an ERC-20 compatible token, plays a role in the Civic ecosystem. It primarily functions as a utility token, facilitating transactions between users within the Identity.com ecosystem that Civic leverages. The CVC token is used to settle transactions between parties, providing a means of exchange for services within the ecosystem. For example, when a user's identity is verified and used by a service provider, CVC tokens are used as a form of payment. This process encourages participation in the ecosystem, as users and validators can receive CVC tokens as non-monetary rewards. The CVC token strives to support the expansion of the Civic ecosystem by incentivizing third-party providers to offer their identity products and services. In essence, the CVC token plays a role in the functioning and development of the Civic ecosystem.

Civic offers decentralized solutions for identity management, enabling users to have more control over their personal data. Civic aims to uphold the immutability of identity data. Once information is added to the blockchain, it cannot be altered or deleted without the user’s consent. This approach strives to uphold digital privacy by returning control to the individuals. Users can decide what data to share and have the ability to revoke access at any time, aiming to uphold privacy and data control. There is no need for third parties to verify user identity, reducing a common point of vulnerability. By distributing identity data across a decentralized network of nodes, Civic aims to reduce single points of failure, making it more challenging for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities and steal personal data.

Civic Secure Identity Platform (SIP) is a blockchain-based system that strives to facilitate third-party access to a user's identity. When a third party is authorized to access a user's identity, the identity data is sent through the blockchain, and various validators have to agree that the user is who they claim to be. This check uses a range of publicly available records that the verifier may hold. One of the central ideas of Civic is to have reusable identity, where companies no longer need to verify identities from the ground up each time. This intends to streamline the identity verification process. Users access the SIP by downloading the Civic Secure Identity App (Civic App), where they configure and verify their identity. The app is designed not to retain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), instead, user data is stored locally in the mobile app. This includes the users' private key. Transactions are designed to necessitate biometric identity confirmation.

Civic's product line is designed with the intention of protecting private user data by utilizing the open-source Identity.com ecosystem and creating solutions that assist companies in meeting Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements. The protocols within the Identity.com ecosystem are powered by its ERC-20 compatible civic token (CVC). Civic's identity management tools are designed with the intention of allowing each user to verify their identity once, and then reuse their verified identity wherever the company’s services are used. No personally identifiable information (PII) is stored on the blockchain — only a hash (an attestation) related to the pertinent data. This is a security layer that aims to protect the PII of Civic identity users from potentially malicious actors.

Civic has formed several strategic partnerships to broaden its identity ecosystem. One of these collaborations is with wikiHow, a widely-used how-to website. This partnership strives to provide a more streamlined experience for wikiHow users through Civic's Identity Platform, enabling over 150 million monthly wikiHow users to log in without using a username and password. Another partnership is with CapLinked, an enterprise platform for managing data rooms, workflows, private clouds, and complex document management. This collaboration aims to bring trusted identity services to CapLinked customers in various sectors. Civic has also partnered with Brave, a privacy browser with a blockchain-based digital advertising platform, with the intention of providing Civic’s identity verification services to Brave’s verified publishers. Civic's ecosystem now includes Identity.com, a decentralized platform that opens up access to on-demand identity verification. These partnerships are part of Civic's efforts to build an ecosystem for on-demand, low-cost access to identity verification services.

Civic aims to address concerns related to user consent and control over personal data by implementing a framework that aligns with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This framework strives to ensure that users have control over their personal data and are aware of how their information is being used. Moreover, Civic's approach intends to include obtaining explicit consent from users before processing their personal data, separate from other terms and conditions. This active consent contrasts with the standard passive consent that users typically have with their data. Civic also intends to facilitate transparency between the user and the data collector. For instance, in the event of a data breach, the organization aims to report it within a specified timeframe. In addition, Civic supports the concept of "data portability," which allows users to have a clear record of their personal data and choose how they want their data to appear. This approach aims to provide users with control over their personal data, aligning with the perspective that data rights are akin to civic rights.