This paper aims to address the research gap in ethical design frameworks for self-sovereign identity (SSI) solutions. We present a case study of value sensitive design (VSD) conceptual investigation applied in the context of SSI-based solutions for the sharing of medical credentials uNLock. We evaluate the applicability and quality of VSD application on the basis of 5 criteria. We validate these findings by comparing the results of the original report with the studies presenting empirically informed insights from the deployment of SSI solutions for the presentation of medical credentials. We identify a problem of “value branching” particular to SSI solutions that can lead to the overinflation of the set of relevant values. We outline the affordances and limitations of the conceptual VSD investigation in our case study. We further reflect on the limits of general SSI principles and argue that the ethical design of SSI solutions always requires context-specific evaluative frameworks.
