Vitalik Pushes Pluralistic IDs for Digital Privacy

The co -founder Ethereum Vitalik Bterin introduced a new type of digital identity system dubbed with “pluralistic identity”, arguing that it could protect privacy while allowing fair participation in digital life.

In a blog post Published Sunday, buterin explored the promise and pitfalls zero knowledge (zk) ID wrapped with proof, warning that even privacy systems can carry serious risks if they firmly enforce one identity per person.

Ethereum (Eth) Mastermind noted that many new digital ID projects use evidence of zero knowledge to allow users to prove that they have a valid ID without revealing personal data. Examples Include World IDwhich has has exceeded 10 million usersTaiwan’s project of digital ID and European Union initiative is increasingly accepting the technology of ZK.

“ZK-zabalaní solves many important problems,” he wrote, but warned that “ZK wrapped id still has risks”, especially because forcing one ID per person can undermine pseudonymity and expose users of coercion.

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The only digital ID could kill a pseudonymity

One of the key risks that Bterin has identified is that platforms could make users into a single traceable identity, eliminating the ability to maintain separate pseudonymous profiles. “In the real world, pseudonymity generally requires to have multiple accounts,” he said.

Without this flexibility, he claimed that users could find themselves in a world where “all your activities must be under a single public identity,” increases the danger of government or supervision of the employer.

Bterin also refused to use the “proof of wealth” as measures against Sybil and said that it excludes people who are unable to pay and concentrate power among the rich. “The theoretical ideal is something in the middle where you can get n identities at the price of n²,” he said.

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Buterin suggests a pluralistic ID

In order to achieve a flexible approach, Bterin has proposed to pluralistic identity systems where no individual authority controls the publication of identity as a “best realistic solution”.

He explained that this could be explicit, using verification based on social graphs, such as circles, or implicit, relying on multiple providers of id-government documents, social platforms and others, so no one receives almost the overall market share.

“Any form of pluralistic identity … is naturally more resistant to mistakes,” he noted, stressed that this flexibility helps individuals without nationality or those who are unable to access traditional IDs.

In the end, Buterin argued that the best result would merge identity systems one into a person with systems of social graphs to bootstrap a diverse network of global identity.

“If their market share is too close to 100%, the world will move … One per person that has worse properties,” he pointed out that only a pluralistic identity can balance privacy, inclusiveness and resistance to abuse.

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