Digital Identity
Over the past year, while contributing to the Web3 space, it's led me to have a few thoughts about our digital identities, their value, and what becomes your personal brand.
In 2017 while working for a digital agency, I was placed on a project utilizing a new technology called the Blockchain. I had no idea what the “Blockchain” was nor did I realize the significant real-world use cases it solved. While researching, the apparent use cases emerged around money, cryptocurrency, and smart contracts. But digital identity stood out as the holy grail that tied universes together. Enter CryptoKitties and my realization of what could become turned into when it would become…
Identity as a trait, not a project
If you’ve followed me, you might have recognized a specific trait I have adopted as a piece of my identity.
This VR headset-looking trait is called the Chain Space Deck Elite II. It was a trait I discovered in the Chain Runners in early 2021 when they minted their genesis collection. As soon as I saw the trait it resonated with me, which I can get into in a different post.
I love and support all artists and projects as a believer and investor. I believe that if you follow someone, you support them, no matter the project. For this reason, I have specifically tied myself to a trait that can be changed, like a chameleon across any project spreading the love and true Web3 ethos.
Interoperabile Identity
We are beginning to see the first examples of on-chain interoperable avatars emerge that tie together our digital universe. Projects such as Hologram, CloneX, Chain Runners, Deadfellas, and the latest Meta Avatars all provide previews of what's to come. Imagine a world where your identity allows you to select the character, shoes, shirt, and environment all via NFTs you have minted…
Example RTFKT Cryptokicks and NFT
Interoperability mimics how we operate in the real world enabled by these areas
IDENTITY for connecting individuals to assets and rights
3D RENDERINGS for displaying the world
BEHAVIORS for characterizing objects
DATA SHARING for sharing ownership and permissions
Consumers will be able to bring their wallets and smart objects into these virtual worlds, just as they bring their credit cards and backpacks across stores today. Knav from the Chain Runners has a great quote here…
“With a digital identity, you can become who you want to be, which may or may not reflect who you are in real life. We wanted an individual to be able to find a Runner they identified with and become that Runner.”
The Identity Ecosystem
The blockchain identity ecosystem expands far past NFTs into exciting concepts such as ENS, SIWE, PoH, POAPs, and SBTs which Vitalik the creator of Ethereum recently wrote about here…
"Identity" is a complicated concept that can mean many things. Some examples include:
Basic authentication: simply proving that action A (eg. sending a transaction or logging into a website) was authorized by some agent that has some identifier, such as an ETH address or a public key, without attempting to say anything else about who or what the agent is.
Attestations: proving claims about an agent made by other agents ("Bob attests that he knows Alice", "the government of Canada attests that Charlie is a citizen")
Names: establishing consensus that a particular human-readable name can be used to refer to a particular agent.
Proof of personhood: proving that an agent is human, and guaranteeing that each human can only obtain one identity through the proof of personhood system (this is often done with attestations, so it's not an entirely separate category, but it's a hugely important special case)
Thinking about this on-chain is one thing but bringing it to the masses is a task that requires thoughtful integrations into our devices. Apple has previewed digital driver's licenses and digital vehicle keys already. Maybe the possibility of the Wallet integration is sooner than we think.
Everything on planet earth ties back to our identity as the central hub that the world interacts. It is the single response location for our Profile, Passport, Bank, Drivers license, Access, Friends portal, Coupons, Events attended poaps, Rewards across games.
I look forward to a future without passwords, physical wallets, and keys and welcome imaginative possibilities enabled by the blockchain.
Follow me on Twitter. I will post a follow-up with a few 1/1 custom clothing designs and a limited edition 1/1 mint in the coming week, as mentioned in my previous 1337 Skull post.
