Web 3.0 and Identity

Ryan Loughlin

Well, identity in web 3.0 is where you have more questions than answers. But there are some aspects of the direction we’re headed that excite me. Simplifying my thoughts, as well as the material others have published, is instrumental for my understanding.

With identity, self-sovereignty comes up multiple times. Your data being under your control is self-sovereignty and it’s attractive to anyone coming from web 2.0 that seeks changes in this regard. For example, healthcare is an industry that we could see implement this, with a sizable impact. Right now, your data goes from one professional to the next with minimal involvement from you - but what if you were the one deciding what is shared, with who, and even when? Having access and control means you’re the entity that primarily decides where your data goes.

Being part of the ENS Domains community (yup, I finally have my ilhan.eth!) has led me to ask more questions on identity, the majority of which I’m still researching, because it’ll be interesting to see how having one or multiple identities, anonymous or not, will work out in this space.

Brantly.eth, the ENS director of operations, recently said in an ENS community AMA Twitter space that we’ll see more play on identity especially in web 3.0. I agree with this because it’s a natural addition to the complexities of identity in web 3.0. Ultimately, simplifying these concepts is key, whether identity-related or not.

Besides the idea of self-sovereignty, interoperability comes up as well in the web 3.0 sphere. Interoperability seeks to describe the ability for communication to occur between multiple blockchains. For identity to be legitimate and truly decentralized, interoperability is necessary. The authentication of identity is another area that will be fascinating to learn about as discussions on interoperability continues.

Things I will continue to research: how authentication works in web 3.0, what role ENS subdomains will play in solidifying our identity, and the best ways to secure web 3.0 identity, etc.

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