A key quote in this article from Elizabeth Renieris, a respected digital identity privacy proponent, is as follows: “a for-profit company like Apple will treat IDs as a way to make money, perhaps one day tacking on transaction fees, as Apple does with purchases made through Apple Wallet.”
While for-profit companies are often trustworthy and have genuinely good intentions, there are certain domains where government and non-profit organizations are better suited to serve individuals. Companies like Apple, Google, etc. should help to make trusted identity credential services easily available on the devices billions of people use to manage their lives – but not weave those credentials inextricably into their products. Many would argue that it could be to everyone’s benefit (including companies like Apple), if critical identity credentials are fully under the control of individuals and transportable across digital platforms (e.g. digital wallets of a person’s choice). The Digital Identity Trust Foundation, following the Principles of SSI, works to provide privacy, security and convenience of identity credential management for everyone.
