TECH TRENDS
The future of digital IDs for business and society
As digital ecosystems have become more integral to society , we have seen our identities carry across into the online world . But without real life verification how can anyone be sure that you are who you say you are online ? William El Kaim , Chief Enterprise Architect and Cybersecurity Expert , BCG Platinion and Johnatan Uzan , Associate Director at BCG Platinion , explain how your online identity could be the answer and become the verification itself .
William El Kaim , Chief Enterprise Architect and Cybersecurity Expert , BCG Platinion
Who are you ? And how can we know you are who you say you are ?
Our identities are perhaps our most fundamental assets , dictating how we move through the world , what privileges we enjoy and limitations we endure . Society is built around our identities , and everything we do is underpinned by a trust that our identities are universally proven and objectively true .
And as digital ecosystems have become more integral to society , we have seen our identities carry across into the online world . From social media to online shopping to browser history , our digital identities are wide ranging , complex and unique . Of course , in the virtual domain proving your identity is a much tricker prospect – without real life verification how can anyone be sure that you are who you say you are ? As the infamous meme goes : On the Internet nobody knows you ’ re a dog .
Perhaps the answer lies within the question : What if your online identity could be the verification itself ? And as society increasingly becomes digital-by-default , could things flip entirely , with your virtual identity becoming the most effective way of authenticating your realworld identity ?
Your authenticated self
It seems likely , then , that digital identities will become the default form of authentication – a source of trust for people , companies , employers and everyone else .
Though while the concept may be attractive , the reality is something else entirely . The challenge will be to bring together an individual ’ s multiple different identities – whether that ’ s through their use of government services , their education institution , their financial services providers etc – to create a single , transparent and informative identity .
From credit scores and date of birth to education and employer details , each of our multiple online identities can verify the other , eventually creating a strong , trusted identity .
But despite the technical challenges , there is real appetite to make the change . In the Financial Service sector , for example , regulators and institutions mandate increased transparency as well as stronger security and fraud detection – and the best route to this is through identity authentication .
What ’ s more , as society begins to demand that social media profiles are held to account , we may see some social networks require digital
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