Freedom comes in many forms. These rights are inherent to being human. No entity can take these rights away from you unless you forfeit them. Unfortunately, these rights are constantly under attack. The average person of this world wants to trust businesses and government entities to do the right thing. But, many do not always act in humanity’s best interest. One of the favorite tactics for control is identification; a key to many things economic. Thus, any form of Digital ID using an NFT as corroborating support should be scrutinized, despite their inherent benefits.
Well, here they come, the Digital IDs. Everyone from world governments to big and small organizations are either already pushing them or soon will be. We predicted it. What we weren’t prepared for, however, was the sheer volume of those seeking to use Digital IDs and associated NFTs for questionable ends. So, here we say “caveat emptor” to certain Digital IDs being pushed. Be aware; they are playing the oldest trick in the book.
So, who should you be wary of when buying NFTs to be used for an ID?
The first group to avoid or scrutinize when dealing with Digital IDs is any group claiming they manage the world, or want a world ID. This would also include any proxy group or network partnering with them. It’s a ridiculously arrogant assumption that any one entity could manage the entire world and take care of your identification.
What can you do? Read the white papers they publish. Check their code on Github. Go to their web 2.0 sites. Are they selling you an NFT that can only be used on their network for identification? Can it be yanked because it’s not on an independent smart contract? Just like social media, if you aren’t independently identifiable on neutral Web3 DApps and destinations, then your “social standing” may only be temporary. Beware of large centralized networks using NFTs for Digital IDs. They may be only masquerading as independent.
Another group to be suspicious of includes government institutions, especially if they are known to have abused or lost their citizen’s private information. Citizens of the world are rightfully questioning their governments right now with the era of artificial intelligence and surveillance. Also, how many governments have lost private and high priority information? Too many.
"It’s really simple to identify the digital identity that one should seek: an independent, smart contract-based NFT that can be stored and verified from a self-custodial wallet. Anything less is suspect."
Many Digital IDs that are arising right now are not what one should seek. It’s really simple to identify the digital identity that one should seek: an independent, smart contract-based NFT that can be stored and verified from a self-custodial wallet. Anything less is suspect.
If you buy an NFT through a smart contract it should allow you to take complete control of that NFT. Fortunately, projects arising with sensible humans who understand this. Supporting truly independent smart contracts, NFTs, and anonymous authentication systems for anonymous Digital IDs from good entities is, and will always be your best choice.
Note: SoulDay NFTs are not restricted to any particular identity protocol. Holders are free to use them in any form of identity authentication that uses ERC-721 standards. This article is simply advising, with respect to the social contract we all hold with our fellow humans, to protect privacy and establish trust with minimal intrusion. Err on the side of caution before choosing and using NFTs for IDs. These authorizations and identities are still very new, and subject to change, but, again, the SoulDay contract will not restrict you.
galeria rodrigo creators of SoulDay, a bold, whimsical skull art collection on Ethereum. Learn more
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