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Dangers of “decentralized” ID systems

Many decentralized identity protocols are being developed, which claim to increase users’ privacy, enable interoperability and convenient...

Via government ID KYC, the state already excludes regular people from jobs, banking, apartment rentals, healthcare, receiving mail, sim cards, contracts and more. However, biometrics are dangerous for many reasons, including security (someone could force you against your will to give your fingerprint or decode your iris pattern from a photo), personal safety (e.g. escaping from domestic abuse or protesting against an authoritarian government), as well as privacy (such as the natural compartmentalization of work and home life and online personas). For example, only your employer, colleagues and customers need to know about your job; only your doctor, pharmacy and insurance (unless you pay out-of-pocket) need to know about your medical history; and many people only share their home address with close friends or family.

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