In this February 22, 2022 article for Reclaim The Net, Tom Parker reports on the new digital ID proposal being advanced by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Under the new framework, WEF proposes the collection of data from various aspects of people’s daily lives. According to the WEF, “this data collection dragnet would allow a digital ID to scoop up data on people’s online behavior, purchase history, network usage, credit history, biometrics, names, national identity numbers, medical history, travel history, social accounts, e-government accounts, bank accounts, energy usage, health stats, education, and more”.

Once connected to personalized data, the digital ID can then be used to decide whether users are allowed to “own and use devices,” “open bank accounts,” “carry out online financial transactions,” “conduct business transactions,” “access insurance, treatment,” “book trips,” “go through border control between countries or regions,” “access third-party services that rely on social media logins,” “file taxes, vote, collect benefits”, among others.

The WEF further proposes that the digital ID can pave the way for automated decision-making where “a trusted digital assistant” is allowed to make choices for a person.

The actual WEF proposal may be accessed here: https://www.weforum.org/reports/advancing-digital-agency-the-power-of-data-intermediaries

Editor’s Note: Digital IDs are being rolled out around the world. It is branded as a “convenient” way of storing and syncing information about an individual across different platforms. But just like most technology, digital IDs could evolve into something we did not intend.

But as early as now, we are already seeing the extent to which these digital IDs will be used. Will you allow governments to access your personal information, when it could be weaponized to limit your rights as a citizen? Are you going to allow corporations to make decisions for you?

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