According to Sharering, a blockchain-based platform that enables the creation and use of “self-sovereign” verifiable credentials, millions of potential users of the world wide web are still disconnected from the Internet because they lack required or verifiable identities, among other things. Without such verifiable identities or credentials, many disadvantaged groups, including refugees, cannot access information on the web that can improve their way of life.
Share on Proving ID Online
To help these disadvantaged groups overcome this challenge, tech entrepreneurs and blockchain startups like share have proposed or created technology that allows Internet users to “prove who they say they are online.” Known as autonomous digital identity, this technology also ensures that “individuals maintain control and security of their own data.”
While the technology is apparently still in its early stages, a growing number of organizations, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have fully embraced it. For example, Unconnected.org, a UK-based social business that “connects the unconnected” to the world wide web, recently said it had partnered with Sharering.
As explained in a recent Press release, Unconnected.org, which seeks to connect a billion people to the Internet, believes that barriers that “add friction to data availability” can be overcome or resolved with verifiable autonomous digital identities.
Some critics have argued that such verifiable digital identities come with flaws or drawbacks that can negate any perceived advantages. However, according to boss teamSharering CEO, through hard work and constant tweaking, standalone digital identities are ideal when looking to verify identities online.
In written responses to questions sent by Bitcoin.com News via Telegram, Bos also offered his thoughts on what he thinks should be done to help regulators and governments understand what Sharering and others are trying to achieve with the autonomous digital identities.
Below are Bos’ responses.
Bitcoin.com News (BCN): Sharering recently said that it had become the official partner of unconnected.org, a social enterprise that seeks to “connect the unconnected” to the world wide web. The goal of this initiative is to connect 1 billion users to the Internet. Can you tell our readers more about this partnership and why you support the goal of connecting so many people?
Team Leader (TB): I think everyone can agree that the Internet is a kingdom of information that is growing every day, serving people from all walks of life and connecting them with each other in a relatively seamless manner. However, as the web continues to evolve, so does the need for our digital identities, that is, how we are represented and recognized online.
Given that statement, it was a natural response for us to reach out to unconnected.org and support their organization. They have the ambitious mission of connecting one billion users to the Internet. However, most if not all of these users are underserved, which means that they barely have the basic equipment to access the Internet.
Sharering could be that bridge between these underserved communities and their access to closed online information and services. Take refugees, for example, it would be difficult to transfer their identities from their home country and therefore would require some sort of identity infrastructure to assimilate into the new communities. This relationship with offline.org spark conversations to explore Sharering identity technology to unite underserved communities with the web and establish recognition through their digital identities.
BCN: Supporters of autonomous digital identities often argue that self-custody of one’s own identity is the future. What does self-custody mean in the field of digital identity? Do you foresee more people adopting autonomous digital identities in the future?
TUBERCULOSIS: There is a lot of talk about people having self-custody of tokens, wallets and such along with using cold wallets, hot wallets, etc. But we believe that self-custody should mean ownership of everything about you. Your passport, your driver’s license, your medical certificates: all these documents that are used to create and build your digital identity.
We feel that society has gone too far in the direction of giving too much information about ourselves to large organizations. By doing so, we are losing self-custody of our information. Time and time again, we have seen that information hacked or stolen and used for nefarious purposes.
BCN: As we have seen with crypto assets, how regulators understand or perceive blockchain-based autonomous digital identities can to some extent determine their fate. So what are you and other players in the digital identity space doing to ensure that powerful organizations or individuals are given the correct information about your work and what you want to achieve?
TUBERCULOSIS: For starters, Sharering can’t do anything with anyone’s identity. One of our core values is to give users full control. Our mission statement is focused on removing friction from everyday interactions while allowing our users a higher level of security, trust, and ownership of their information, so it’s not about us telling people what to do with their identities, but that they control what they do with their identities.
We believe that people should be able to access goods or services by sharing only a minimal amount of information. For example, when I sign up for a service, the website always asks for more information than is necessary to provide me with that service. If it is a service where I need to prove that I am 18 or older, why do you need my full name, address, driver’s license and passport number?
What we believe is that we should be able to answer that simple question with “Yes, I am over 18” without sharing any other personal information too much. Therefore, users remain in control throughout the verification process, and whenever they share any information through Sharering technology, they are always notified and prompted before the information is shared, thus entering in these processes knowing exactly what data or personal information they are sharing. .
BCN: It has been said that autonomous digital identities not only add security and flexibility to users, but also allow them to share data only when they want to. However, critics point to the complex process of tracking personal data and permissions that may be beyond ordinary users. They insist that this and other disadvantages outweigh the benefits of self-sovereign identities. What would your answer be?
TUBERCULOSIS: We have started this journey with the user experience at the center of everything we do. It has taken a lot of hard work and testing to get to a point where we believe the solution we have really satisfies the common user.
When someone needs to sign up for a service or test something about themselves, we ask them a very simple question through the Sharering app, and they have to approve that request in order to answer the question. For example, do you want to send your date of birth to this company? Or do you want to tell this company that you are over 18? All the user needs to do is place their thumb on their mobile device’s fingerprint reader to verify and approve the request.
We have seen many blockchain-based stand-alone digital identity companies with systems that are not user-friendly. They assume users have a lot of existing knowledge and then they are asked to set up a wallet, perform processes, and connect with things like Metamask. We want to remove those barriers. We want to make sure it’s easy for people. In fact, a new version of what we’re doing removes things like the recovery key, so you can sign up without having to think about a recovery key, and just give your name and email address. There is no need for a password; you only use your biometric data.
An exception is when you want to back up your Vault, at which point you’ll be prompted to save and write down a recovery key. The identity part, where you scan documents to prove and verify your identity, you only need to do this the first time you use your digital identity. We call this the “time adjustment process” to make it easier for users to access the Sharering ecosystem, as we are removing this barrier to future data transactions.
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