The Exciting Possibilities of a Society with Decentralized Identities

Too Long; Didn't Read

Our societies have been so indoctrinated by the concept of identity given by our respective governments that many people are incapable or are unwilling to think outside the box of what we think identity means. Social security numbers, passports, drivers licenses, credit scores, etc., are usually what comes into mind when we think of the word “identification.” Don’t get me wrong — government identities were (and are) absolutely necessary to prevent fraud, confusion, and straight-up chaos. But in the midst of our attempt at organization and somewhat accurate file-keeping, we have lost the true meaning of the word. Sadly, we now see identity as a way for governments, institutions, schools, banks, and hospitals to determine who we are, what we’ve done, and what we own. What’s even more sad is that almost all blockchain-based identity projects are trying to do the exact same thing as what the government has done.