Latest news with #digitalidentity
Crypto Insight
3 hours ago
- Business
- Crypto Insight
Vitalik introduces ‘pluralistic' IDs to protect privacy in digital identity systems
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has introduced a new kind of digital identity system dubbed 'pluralistic identity,' arguing it could protect privacy while enabling fair participation in digital life. In a blog post published Sunday, Buterin explored the promise and pitfalls of zero-knowledge (ZK) proof-wrapped IDs, warning that even privacy-preserving systems can carry serious risks if they rigidly enforce one identity per person. The Ethereum mastermind noted that many new digital ID projects use zero-knowledge proofs to let users prove they have a valid ID without revealing personal details. Examples include World ID, which has surpassed 10 million users, Taiwan's digital ID project, and European Union initiatives increasingly adopting ZK technology. 'ZK-wrapping solves a lot of important problems,' he wrote, but warned that 'ZK-wrapped ID still has risks,' especially because enforcing one ID per person can undermine pseudonymity and expose users to coercion. Single digital IDs could kill pseudonymity One key risk Buterin identified is that platforms could force users into a single, trackable identity, eliminating the ability to maintain separate pseudonymous profiles. 'In the real world, pseudonymity generally requires having multiple accounts,' he said. Without this flexibility, he argued, users could find themselves in a world where 'all of your activity must de-facto be under a single public identity,' heightening dangers from government or employer surveillance. Buterin also rejected the idea of using 'proof of wealth' alone as an anti-Sybil measure, saying it excludes people unable to pay and concentrates power among the wealthy. 'The theoretical ideal is something in the middle, where you can get N identities at a cost of N²,' he said. Buterin proposes pluralistic IDs To achieve a flexible approach, Buterin proposed pluralistic identity systems, where no single authority controls identity issuance, as the 'best realistic solution.' He explained these could be explicit, using social-graph-based verification like Circles, or implicit, relying on multiple ID providers — government documents, social platforms, and others — so no one ID gains near-total market share. 'Any form of pluralistic identity… is naturally more error-tolerant,' he noted, pointing out that this flexibility helps stateless individuals or those unable to access traditional IDs. Ultimately, Buterin argued the best outcome would merge one-per-person identity schemes with social-graph systems to bootstrap diverse, global identity networks. 'If their market share gets too close to 100%, they shift the world… to a one-per-person model, which has worse properties,' he warned, stressing that only pluralistic identity can balance privacy, inclusivity, and resistance to abuse. Source:
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vitalik Buterin has reservations about Sam Altman's World project
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is arguing that the digital identification approach being promoted by Sam Altman's World project has real privacy risks. Previously known as Worldcoin, World was created under Altman and Alex Blania's Tools for Humanity. The organization says it can help distinguish between AI agents and human beings by scanning users' eyeballs and creating a unique identity for them on the blockchain. In a lengthy post, Buterin noted that World's approach of using zero-knowledge proofs to verify human identity while protecting anonymity is also being explored by various digital passport and digital ID projects. And he acknowledged that 'on the surface,' using a 'ZK-wrapped digital ID' could contribute to 'protecting our social media, voting, and all kinds of internet services against manipulation from sybils and bots, all without compromising on privacy.' However, Buterin suggested that this approach still boils down to a 'one-per-person' ID system, which creates significant risks. 'In the real world, pseudonymity generally requires having multiple accounts … so under one-per-person ID, even if ZK-wrapped, we risk coming closer to a world where all of your activity must de-facto be under a single public identity,' he wrote. 'In a world of growing risk (eg. drones), taking away the option for people to protect themselves through pseudonymity has significant downsides.' As a concrete example of the risks, Buterin noted that the U.S. government recently started requiring student and scholar visa applicants to set their social media accounts to public, so that it could screen those accounts for 'hostility.' Similarly, he suggested that even if there's no public link between different accounts created under a single digital ID, 'a government could force someone to reveal their secret, so that they can see their entire activity.' Instead, Buterin is advocating for an approach emphasizing 'pluralistic identity,' in which 'there is no single dominant issuing authority, whether that's a person, or an institution, or a platform.' Pluralistic systems can either be 'explicit' (they ask users to verify their identity based on testimonials from already-verified users) or 'implicit' (relying on a variety of different identity systems) — in his view, these represent 'the best realistic solution.'
TechCrunch
19 hours ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Vitalik Buterin has reservations about Sam Altman's World project
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is arguing that the digital identification approach being promoted by Sam Altman's World project has real privacy risks. Previously known as Worldcoin, World was created under Altman and Alex Blania's Tools for Humanity. The organization says it can help distinguish between AI agents and human beings by scanning users' eyeballs and creating a unique identity for them on the blockchain. In a lengthy post, Buterin noted that World's approach of using zero-knowledge proofs to verify human identity while protecting anonymity is also being explored by various digital passport and digital ID projects. And he acknowledged that 'on the surface,' using a 'ZK-wrapped digital ID' could contribute to 'protecting our social media, voting, and all kinds of internet services against manipulation from sybils and bots, all without compromising on privacy.' However, Buterin suggested that this approach still boils down to a 'one-per-person' ID system, which creates significant risks. 'In the real world, pseudonymity generally requires having multiple accounts … so under one-per-person ID, even if ZK-wrapped, we risk coming closer to a world where all of your activity must de-facto be under a single public identity,' he wrote. 'In a world of growing risk (eg. drones), taking away the option for people to protect themselves through pseudonymity has significant downsides.' As a concrete example of the risks, Buterin noted that the U.S. government recently started requiring student and scholar visa applicants to set their social media accounts to public, so that it could screen those accounts for 'hostility.' Similarly, he suggested that even if there's no public link between different accounts created under a single digital ID, 'a government could force someone to reveal their secret, so that they can see their entire activity.' Instead, Buterin is advocating for an approach emphasizing 'pluralistic identity,' in which 'there is no single dominant issuing authority, whether that's a person, or an institution, or a platform.' Pluralistic systems can either be 'explicit' (they ask users to verify their identity based on testimonials from already-verified users) or 'implicit' (relying on a variety of different identity systems) — in his view, these represent 'the best realistic solution.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Denmark plans to thwart deepfakers by giving everyone copyright over their own features
The Danish government is planning to tackle the issue of AI-generated deepfakes by granting citizens property rights over their likeness and voice. The proposed legislation would mean that people who find that their features have been used to create a deepfake would have the right to ask the platforms that host the content to take it down, Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt told CNN on Friday. Engel-Schmidt believes that 'technology has outpaced legislation' and the proposed law would help to protect artists, public figures and ordinary people from digital identity theft, which he said is now possible with just a few clicks thanks to the power of generative AI. 'I think we should not accept a situation where human beings can be run through, if you would have it, a digital copy machine and misused for all sorts of purposes,' he said. He cited the example of musical artists who have discovered songs online purporting to be theirs, but which have in fact been made using AI clones of their voice. One such case involves Canadian singer Celine Dion, who in March warned fans about AI-generated content featuring her voice and likeness that was circulating online. And in April 2024, more than 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, J Balvin, Ja Rule, Jon Bon Jovi, the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry and Miranda Lambert, signed an open letter speaking out against AI-related threats in the music industry. Engel-Schmidt says he has secured cross-party support for the bill, and he believes it will be passed this fall. Once the legislation is passed, Engel-Schmidt believes a second step would be to introduce more legislation that could impose fines on companies that do not comply with requests to remove content featuring an AI-generated deepfake. 'We are champions of freedom of speech, we would like everyone to be heard, but we also believe that human beings have the right to say yes and no to them being used by generative AI,' he said. As for whether he has discussed the proposed legislation with tech companies, Engel-Schmidt said: 'Not yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I think it's in their interest as well to make AI work for humanity, not against, you know, artists, popular figures and ordinary people.' Athina Karatzogianni, a professor of technology and society at the University of Leicester, England, told CNN that the Danish proposal is one of hundreds of policy initiatives around the world looking to reduce the possible harms associated with the misuse of generative AI. 'Deepfakes can have both individual and social impact, because they can both harm individual rights and also (have) sociopolitical impacts, because they undermine the values that are fundamental to a democracy, such as equality and transparency,' said Karatzogianni.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
INTESI GROUP S.p.A. and iGrant.io Enhance EUDI Wallets with Integrated Solution
Partnership delivers an integrated solution for EUDI Wallet signing and legally recognised Qualified Electronic Attestation of Attributes (QEAA) issuance within the European Digital Identity Framework (eIDAS). Stockholm / Milan, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- a Swedish provider of EU Digital Identity Wallet infrastructure, and Intesi Group S.p.A., a European Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), have entered into a strategic partnership to enable document signing and the issuance and management of Qualified Electronic Attribute Attestations (QEAAs) using EU Digital Identity Wallets (EUDI Wallets).Intesi Group and partnership This collaboration delivers the first fully integrated solution combining qualified electronic signature and legally recognised issuance of QEAAs within the Organisation Wallet Suite, also referred to by the European Commission as the European Business Wallet. Two Game-Changing Capabilities, One Seamless Offering 1. Effortless Document Signing via EUDI Wallets By integrating Intesi Group's Qualified Electronic Signature and Seal services into Organisation Wallet Suite, organisations can enable users to sign documents using their EUDI Wallets with a one-click experience. This ensures legally valid, cross-border transactions across all sectors, including public administration. 2. Issuance of Qualified Electronic Attribute Attestations (QEAAs) QEAAs represent verifiable credentials that establish legal roles, mandates, or affiliations. These are issued to EUDI Wallets through Organisation Wallet Suite, which provides the credential issuance and delivery framework. The underlying qualified infrastructure, including certificate lifecycle management and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), is provided by Intesi Group.. The result? A future-proof solution that: ● Delivers high assurance identity and credential services fully compliant to the European Digital Identity Framework. ● Leverages EU Trust List mechanisms to validate QTSP status and ensure legal recognition 'This partnership enables a production-ready, one-stop-shop solution for signing and credential issuance within the EUDI Wallet ecosystem,' said Lotta Lundin, CEO of 'By embedding Intesi Group's capabilities into the Organisation Wallet Suite, we accelerate real-world adoption of what the EU refers to as the European Business Wallet'. 'The EUDI Wallet represents a landmark opportunity for Europe to lead the world in digital identity. Intesi Group is excited to join forces with to provide a practical, legally sound, and easy-to-implement solution that empowers businesses and citizens to thrive in this new era. Together, we're making the vision of a truly interconnected European digital economy a reality. ' said Paolo Sironi, CEO of Intesi Group. This cutting-edge solution is already making waves in key European programmes like the European Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC) and CRANE PCP, revolutionizing use cases including: Legal Person Identification (LPID) and business registry onboarding: Streamlining and securing the verification process. Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and payment verification: Reducing fraud and boosting consumer trust. Remote patient monitoring and consent-based data exchange under the European Health Data Space (EHDS): Protecting patient privacy while enabling seamless access to vital medical information. About is a Swedish provider of EU Digital Identity Wallet infrastructure, empowering individuals and organizations to manage and share their digital identities securely and seamlessly. About Intesi Group: Intesi Group is a leading European Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), offering a wide range of digital trust services to ensure secure and legally compliant electronic transactions. For more information, contact: Lundin – CEOlotta@ Intesi GroupPaola Monti – Head of Marketing and Communicationmarketing@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
