Privacy, biometrics, and the emergence of global digital passports.
Digital identity is becoming a core layer of metaverse and Web3 platforms, enabling users to interact, transact, and establish legal presence in virtual environments. How identity is managed will shape trust, access, and governance in the decentralized web.
Control over one’s digital identity is becoming a fundamental right in an increasingly data-driven world. Who decides how personal information is used — individuals, governments, or tech platforms — will shape the future of privacy, autonomy, and digital citizenship.
Decentralized identifiers enable users to establish digital identities without centralized systems, leveraging blockchain-era infrastructure for greater ownership, tamper resistance, and censorship resilience. These capabilities are core to identity solutions powered by smart contracts and blockchain.
Facial, fingerprint, and voice recognition are streamlining access and authentication while raising concerns about surveillance, data security, and algorithmic bias. Questions around government use and accountability are driving calls for clearer legal and ethical standards.
International standards are essential to ensure interoperability, trust, and legal protection for users of digital identity systems. As cross-border digital services expand, coordinated regulation is becoming a key priority for governments and technology providers.
The widespread collection and misuse of personal data have become a serious challenge to individual privacy. Growing digital dependence highlights the need for enforceable international regulations and robust technical safeguards to ensure data protection.
Millions of people remain without legal identity, limiting their ability to access essential services. Digital tools based on biometrics and blockchain are being developed to help verify identity in situations of displacement, aiming to improve service delivery in healthcare, education, and finance.
Biometric e-passports and digital ID systems are being adopted across the globe, allowing people to access public services, cross borders, and engage in digital economies. Momentum has grown since the pandemic, as countries modernize identity infrastructure.