A new report from the World Economic Forum suggests that digital ID is a cornerstone in the evolving concept of metaverse identity, expanding beyond traditional digital identification to encompass a broad array of data and new forms of credentials.
The report, titled “Metaverse Identity: Defining the Self in a Blended Reality”, is the result of a WEF collaboration with Accenture. It delves into the complexities of identity within the evolving digital landscape of the metaverse, amphasizing the metaverse’s potential to redefine how individuals interact with each other and their environments, merging physical and digital realities.
The report authors define the metaverse as the future of the internet, envisioning it as a spatial social internet experience that leverages existing and emerging technologies to seamlessly blend physical and digital worlds. The metaverse is seen as an evolution built upon the current internet infrastructure, enriched by spatial experiences that offer a more immersive, interactive, and integrated digital environment. This vision of the metaverse emphasizes its potential to act as a conduit between the digital and physical realms, significantly altering social interactions, economic transactions, and individual identities.
Digital ID would obviously play an important role in such a conception of the metaverse. The WEF report underscores the necessity of designing a digital identity framework that is inclusive, secure, and capable of adapting to the dynamic nature of the metaverse.
It introduces the concept of innovative form factors for digital IDs, such as credentials based on inferred data or avatar characteristics, to provide unique verification methods within the metaverse. The document also suggests adapting know-your-customer (KYC) processes to suit the diverse and interoperable nature of virtual spaces, potentially incorporating visual verification indicators to build trust.
On that note, the WEF report authors discuss the potential role for biometrics in metaverse digital ID. This includes using unique, body-based data as a means of verification, indicating a shift towards more personalized and potentially continuous forms of authentication. For instance, an individual’s behaviors paired with facial recognition could serve as “behavioral credentials,” allowing for dynamic verification processes based on real-time inferred data.
For those who are concerned about the growing prominence of digital ID among governments and NGOs like the World Economic Forum, the idea of using behavioral data for continuous authentication might be interpreted as a step towards constant surveillance, where every action in the digital realm could be tracked and analyzed, leading to concerns about loss of anonymity and autonomy.
Likewise, the report’s suggestion to adapt KYC processes for the metaverse might raise alarms about the imposition of stringent identity verification measures, possibly leading to a scenario where access to digital spaces and services is contingent upon revealing personal information, thus limiting freedom and anonymity online.
That having been said, the report repeatedly emphasizes the importance of privacy, data protection, inclusion, and ethical considerations throughout.
It concludes with an Acknowledgments section that begins by expressing appreciation to members of a “steering committee” who “spent numerous hours providing critical input and feedback to the drafts.” Steering committee members include representatives from Microsoft, Meta, Sony, Qualcomm, Google, and Walmart, as well as representatives from Saudi Arabia’s NEOM smart city project, the UAE, and The Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, among others.
Source: WEF
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March 28, 2024 – by Alex Perala and the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
This news is republished from another source.
