At a time when we scan our eyes to prove that we are human, the question becomes inevitable: what are we going to sacrifice on the altar of digital identity? Confidentiality, freedom, pseudonymat: everything seems on the hot seat. The dazzling ascent of World ID is a planetary test. But in a striking ticket, Vitalik Buterin, co -founder of Ethereum, returns with a daring alternative. A pluralist track, far from the imposed digital uniqueness. What if the future was woven more in a network identity?
In short
- Vitalik Buterin, D'Ethereum, dismantles the hidden dangers behind the unique identity and the zk-proofs.
- Worldcoin claims to protect data, but concentrates power and threatens pseudonymat.
- The co -founder of Ethereum defends a pluralist identity, based on the diversity of decentralized certificates.
- Its allows several identities, dissuades abuses, and respects digital privacy.
Pseudonymat at risk: when your identity becomes a prison
Having an online identity is useful. But having only one is risky. For Vitalik Buterin, The uniqueness imposed by certain projects such as Worldcoin endorses individual freedom. Behind the ZK-Proofs-these evidence which guarantee your humanity Without disclosing your data – Hides a trap: the erasure of the right to dissociation.
In the real world, pseudonymat generally requires several accounts.
Vitalik Buterin
However, with a unique ID, your profiles – pro, militant, intimate – overlap. No more masks: everything refers to a single, traceable entity.
The example of Student visas in the United States ice cream: the authorities require that social profiles are public. The slightest joke, the slightest critic, becomes sanctioning matter. In this game, the unique identification systems, even encrypted, open the way to gentle coercion: ” A government could force someone to reveal their secrets, exposing all its activity “Adds Buterin.
An application that would link all your accounts would not need to hack anything: it would be enough to make you admit.
Worldcoin: the technological mirage of a “unique identity” world
Worldcointhis is the project of Sam Altman. He scans your iris, figures your data and gives you a World ID. The goal? Distinguish humans and bots. At first glance, nothing more noble. Ethereum is even in admiration in front of the zk-proofs employed. Except that…
Buterin Pointe A fundamental bias : it's still A unique identity system. Even if encrypted, structural uniqueness remains. Result: Risques of coercion, errors, mass profiling remain. And it's not theoretical.
If everyone has one identity, we can be forced to reveal it.
Vitalik Buterin
Clearly, the system can become A golden cage. Even the best intentions, such as the fight against bots or false profiles, become barely disguised surveillance weapons.
Faced with this, some Internet users express doubts. “” Are social graphs really viable for identity? Asks Nanak Nihal on X. He adds that their ergonomics is a brake for the average user.
In a world where Power is concentrated in the hands of a few platformseven Ethereum is no exception to the fundamental question: who controls your identity?
A net of identities: the pluralist vision of the founder of Ethereum
Rather than a single pass for all services, Vitalik Buterin offers A patchwork of identities. A bit like clothes that we change depending on the situation. This system, called “pluralist identity”, is based on two approaches:
- Explicit: each person is validated by other members of a confidence network (ex: circles);
- Implicit: your identity is built by the combination of different evidence (passport, social networks, various logins, etc.).
This model makes fraud more expensivewithout excluding the poorest. This is where the great idea of Ethereum comes in: allow n identitiesbut at an increasing cost of N². A perfect balance between accessibility and protection.
Key figures to understand:
- 26 million users for World ID;
- 10 million checks per orb;
- ZK = Zero-Knowledge Proof: Prove without exposing;
- N identities → cost of n²: to avoid massive abuses;
- Social graphs: Community certificate mechanism, tested by Ethereum via Circles.
And if a supplier hacks? You have other identities. In case of biometric disability? You have a passport. The pluralist system allows natural support measures. He tolerates errors, protects the excluded, and above all: prevents an actor from holding 100 % of the market.
“” If their market share approaches 100 %, the world rocks to a unique model with disastrous properties », Harts Vitalik Buterin.
Digital security is no longer a luxury. While 16 billion passwords linked to Apple, Google and Facebook leaked in a single leak, it is time to rethink the identity online. The choice is no longer between efficiency and freedom, but between imposed comfort and shared control.
Maximize your Cointribne experience with our 'Read to Earn' program! For each article you read, earn points and access exclusive rewards. Sign up now and start accumulating advantages.
