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I've had a chance to think about digital ID's in more detail.

I'm still 100% against them, but I realise they will end up trapping normies in an ever greater net, but won't really affect me.

Firstly, in the UK, you don't have to carry one or even own one, but if you don't, you will need to pay £85 to verify your identity if you need to.

I realised from this, that it's an extension of credit ratings. Most of the first world transitioned onto the personal credit rating, I never did. You don't need a credit rating if you don't need credit and you don't need a digital ID if you don't need to identify yourself.

I don't need to do either.

I remember a few years ago, I got chased for a debt I inherited from a company I invested in. I got a letter from a debt collector, so I phoned the number. They needed to confirm my identity so asked me to confirm my date of birth. I gave a false date. They were unable to discuss the debt until I gave them the date they had on record. So I asked if that concluded our conversation, they were silent. I never heard from them again 😂

Digital IDs, at least for me, will be similar, I will benefit from not verifying my identity.

Despite my choice to use my real identity here, I rarely provide my personal data to authorities, I find it makes life a lot easier.

Steven Black 2mo ago

Serious question:

Not so long ago, we were inundated with supposed applications of ZK proofs. One ZK proof scenario is, at a traffic stop, the official could check whether you are qualified to drive, with no outstanding driving issues, without disclosing your name, your address, your sex, your date of birth, or anything else.

Would your feelings about “digital ID” change if the national ID was a privkey / pubkey pair? So your digital ID would be a pubkey. And you control your privkey.

My guess is, you might be OK with that.

If so, it’s not about “digital ID”, it’s about the form and implementation of “new digital ID” because digital IDs — drivers license and passports for example — have been with us for a long time already.

Unfortunately, almost nobody is talking about form or implementation of “new digital ID”.

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Discussion

mike 2mo ago

That's very, very interesting. In my article about using NOSTR as a digital ID here:

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp6pmv65w6tfhcp73404xuxcqpg24f8rf2z86f3v824td22c9ymptqq2kzvj40p9z6cmjtpsnw5p5tfhkycnvfaeyzthavhh

Despite it's potential, you still need some things externally verified, such as your legal authority to drive a car. ZK proofs could be such a thing.

Also, I am aware that many countries already have digital IDs and have had them for many years. We in the UK always went on the more freedom approach, i.e. you are who you say you are until you do something wrong and we need to prove who you are.

Despite America seeing themselves as being the land of the free, we've always had a deeper sense of freedom before the U.S. even existed and it was born out of superiority from owning most of the world during our Empire stage. That's taken a bit of a knock in the last 80 years since the end of WW2, but this idea of freedom for an English man is still at the heart of our identity, which is why the current state of our society is so distressing for most and why minority factions are on the rise.

Society adoption of technology always lags behind capability, but yes, ZK proofs have a massive potential in self sovereign identity, especially where you do need external validation, such as driving licenses, educational or professional qualifications etc...

AU9913 2mo ago

If it were implemented this way, then i would be more opem to it. I hate having to gove the gas station attendant all my personal info just to get some zyns

mike 2mo ago

I've never had to KYC to buy petrol before 😂

AU9913 2mo ago

Zyn is nicotine.

mike 2mo ago

Ah, what's the legal age for smoking in the U.S.?

mike 2mo ago

I just googled it, because it's been so long since I've thought about these differences.

Isn't it strange you can kill others by driving a car age 16, but you can't kill yourself with drink or tobacco until you're 21 😂

In the UK we can drive at 17 and drink and smoke at 18

AU9913 2mo ago

I just realized certain states are 21, but yeah.

AU9913 2mo ago

18, but here they card everyone. Like i have a full beard with greys in it and am carded 95% of the time. I don't think i ever was carded when i lived in Europe.

Michael of St. Joseph 🔏 2mo ago

I thought the smoking age was increased to 21 in the US recently?

AU9913 2mo ago

Could be, my state has been 21 for about a decade so idk.