Digital identity is shifting from service- and network-centric approaches toward user-centric ones that promise users increased control over their data. Despite their decentralised design, such approaches often reintroduce centralised components in different forms. This research explores this tension, i.e., the decentralisation paradox, and argues that user-centric architectures tend to redistribute rather than eliminate centralisation. Based on Critical Systems Thinking (CST), digital identity is framed as a "wicked problem" that spans across the technical, legal, social and ethical dimensions. The paper argues that understanding all these interdependencies is essential for designing reliable architectures and ensuring the next generation of digital identity goes beyond superficial decentralisation.

翻译：数字身份正从以服务和网络为中心的模式转向以用户为中心的模式，后者承诺赋予用户对其数据的更大控制权。尽管这类方案采用去中心化设计，却常以不同形式重新引入中心化组件。本研究探讨这一张力，即去中心化悖论，并论证以用户为中心的架构往往重新分配而非消除中心化。基于批判系统思维（CST），本文将数字身份界定为跨越技术、法律、社会与伦理维度的"棘手问题"。文章指出，理解所有这些相互依存关系对于设计可靠架构至关重要，唯有如此才能确保下一代数字身份超越表面的去中心化。