Owning Our Identity: Solving 3 Critical Issues to Driving Mainstream Consumer Adoption of Blockchain

Securing Our Inclusive Future in the Web3 Era

A few decades ago, women in the United States couldn’t open their bank accounts without a male cosigner until 1974. It wasn’t until 1993 that all fifty states finally recognized spousal rape as a crime. These milestones, so recent in our collective memory, seem almost unimaginable today. We now take the rights our predecessors fought so hard to secure for granted. We now stand at the forefront of the digital revolution, but learning from the past, we intend to ensure our future is inclusive.

Our current identity is tethered to a fragile plastic card and an easily compromised database that hasn’t been updated since the 1970s.

Our current identity is tethered to a fragile plastic card and an easily compromised database that hasn’t been updated since the 1970s. We have finally reached the technological innovation where the dream is to ensure that every man, woman, and child has inalienable rights based on their humanity, not simply what each government determines is allowable.

With the chaos only escalating worldwide, it’s time to stop waiting to be saved and save ourselves. And we finally have the tools to kick off this new emancipation proclamation.

Picture a future where your humanity is preserved, undiminished by the bureaucracy of expired licenses or the prying eyes of intrusive systems. This is the vision I had back in 2017 when I created the SmartIID digital identity solution for my dating app, Loly. It was a simple yet revolutionary idea: ensure that users interacted with real people, owning their words and actions without oversharing personal details.

Just because you walk into a bar doesn’t mean the bouncer needs to know where you live or how much you weigh; they only need to know that you’re of age.

Fast forward to today, and I am thrilled to see titans of blockchain coming together to solve identity, with Humanity.org scaling this concept to new heights and achieving unicorn status. They’ve taken one foundational concept, the validity of a human, and transformed it into a globally scalable product, recently achieving unicorn status. Now, it’s really happening – a decentralized system that ensures your humanity does not expire. With Humanity.org, we’re seeing the dawn of a new era where identity is sovereign and privacy is paramount.

But identity is just one piece of the puzzle. As we venture further into the realm of Web3, the risks loom large, especially for those unfamiliar with its intricacies. Enter FoolProof Labs, the guardians of digital wallets. Think of them as the McAfee of Web3, providing a robust security net for your assets. Their tools are designed to protect even the most inexperienced users from scams and pitfalls.

Picture this: you’re at a bar, entering an exclusive HUG party with your NFT, but instead of risking your prized digital asset, you use a FoolProof token. Emily Herrick, co-founder of FoolProof Labs, perfectly captures the relief we all seek: “No longer do I need to worry about my password being compromised from some huge breach of a service that I’ve used SSO (single sign-on) with, and spend hours changing all of my passwords, or just praying nothing happens to my accounts.” Your assets are safe, whether online or in person, so let the party begin.

Sauntering into the event, you mosey up to the bar and realize you only have $BOBBY tokens… Enter Glue – the unsung hero of interoperability. This cross-chain compatible protocol is the glue (pun intended) that binds the fragmented world of decentralized finance. No more figuring out how to bridge from one blockchain to another.

Glue makes it effortless, allowing even newcomers to build Web3 dApps that address the world’s most pressing issues without needing permission from gatekeepers. Now, you are easily able to swap your tokens for drinks. And as more consumer-friendly dApps work their way into the mainstream, we as an industry need to address the many elephants in the room.

“In light of the challenges faced by exchanges like Celsius and FTX, we recognized the need for a platform that provides the ease of use of a centralized exchange while ensuring users maintain control and security over their funds,” said Ogle, co-founder of Glue.

The Glue Hub, which launched earlier this week, changes the game by ensuring that all transactions are conducted on the blockchain. This way, your funds are securely stored in your wallet, not held by Glue. It’s about control, security, and making informed choices in the dynamic world of crypto. With The Glue Hub, your investments are truly yours, safeguarded from the risks associated with centralized exchanges.

Now, let’s consider the broader implications. With millions of migrants and refugees around the world, identity verification is more than just a convenience – it’s a necessity as well as a major security concern. Terence Kwok, founder of Humanity Protocol, echoes this sentiment: “The world needs a truly self-sovereign identity framework built on first principles of inclusivity, privacy, and decentralization.”

Solving identity helps those in dire need and ensures everyone can participate in commerce.

And with all innovation comes the inevitable rise of scammers, growing ever more sophisticated. That’s where FoolProof Labs’ security measures become indispensable, providing protection to foster a safe and inclusive digital environment.

The future of Web3 is not just about technology; it’s about crafting a digital world where everyone has a place, a voice, and security. It’s about creating solutions without needing to ask for permission, empowering individuals and communities. This is the Web3 future we should all strive for – one that is accessible, secure, and interconnected, driven by innovation and a commitment to humanity.