We hunted use cases for identity like the Predator. Pivoting into secure messaging, Bitcoin, and finally a marketplace. But could not find a way to make it work.
The entire existing global payments system would not function without verified identity.
Healthcare would not function without verified identity (both for payment but also for tracking treatments and outcomes).
Existing marketplaces often require verified identity (as it helps combat fraud).
Vehicle license plates depend on verified identity (and are part of a system to enforce that).
Border control requires verified identities.
There are so many places in our current society where verified identity is essential, and already a solved problem (yes the solutions aren't perfect, but they are in place). Bitcoin failed IMO precisely because it actively avoids tackling identity, which has been a central part of finance for as long as it has existed. It might be hard to usurp the place states have claimed for themselves in verifying the identify of their citizens, or to make money from it, but it is absolutely central to how any society functions.
Identity is not dead just because some purveyors of online authentication think it would be easier not to deal with it. In fact I think identity not provided by states but claimed by the individual is a very interesting unsolved problem.
I'm suggesting that, contrary to the article's thesis, bitcoin's thesis and the parent's assertions, identity is central to many core functions of our society and is not something to be elided or ignored.
Identity is not dead, nor does it deserve to die.
Is there room for a corporate or distributed version of identity? Probably, but it might have to wait for the power of nation states to wane further, and it needs to acknowledge that identity is a core concern in many of these domains.
The entire existing global payments system would not function without verified identity.
Healthcare would not function without verified identity (both for payment but also for tracking treatments and outcomes).
Existing marketplaces often require verified identity (as it helps combat fraud).
Vehicle license plates depend on verified identity (and are part of a system to enforce that).
Border control requires verified identities.
There are so many places in our current society where verified identity is essential, and already a solved problem (yes the solutions aren't perfect, but they are in place). Bitcoin failed IMO precisely because it actively avoids tackling identity, which has been a central part of finance for as long as it has existed. It might be hard to usurp the place states have claimed for themselves in verifying the identify of their citizens, or to make money from it, but it is absolutely central to how any society functions.
Identity is not dead just because some purveyors of online authentication think it would be easier not to deal with it. In fact I think identity not provided by states but claimed by the individual is a very interesting unsolved problem.