| > Your email. Your Instagram. Your Twitter. Your phone number. Your bank account. These are identifiers, backed by accounts with credentials. > If you invert that and say that your identity is no longer mediated by any specific entity, or array of entities, it is mediated by a provably neutral public infrastructure that is completely opt in and costs only the amount that is proportional to your usage. What value does this have for your email provider? Instagram or Twitter? The phone company? The bank? All of these companies provide value _through_ the identifier. Checking accounts and Credit cards issued by the bank. The phone number. Your handle on Instagram or Twitter. Many of these need to have an idea of a real-world identity for regulatory reasons. For account recovery actions. For effective enforcement of abuse bans. What about this off switch? Even if I show up with my own identifier - twitter can still refuse to post my messages. My bank could block access to my funds. This vision seems to be able replacing these businesses with new businesses and new infrastructure. |