KABN Presents: Digital Identity 2020 — The evolving digital identity landscape

Discussion Series:

Volume 1

How the current macro environment is changing the way we work, play and engage online

Think about the last time you left home, you probably had at least 2 items with you that would help you prove who you are, everywhere you go and with everything you do. These items were most likely your wallet and keyring.

In the “real” world, we are so used to carrying personal identification in some type of container, whether it’s a wallet, purse, or for some, an ID and cash wrapped by a rubber band. Whether we drive or take public transit, our keyring not only provides security to our vehicle, homes, offices and other valuables that we want to access, but also tells a bit about our personality, based on the type of keyring and fobs we have.

So, why should it be any different in the online world? And, how can I prove who I really am online just as easily as I do in the real world?

For every great breakthrough in humankind, there has always been a tipping point. Unfortunately, most of these breakthroughs have occurred based on some type of conflict, like an arms race, war or pandemic. However, these often act as catalysts, from which new technologies and innovations have been born.

This year, 2020, is no exception. At the start of the new year, we were all minding our own business, going about our daily lives and moving in and out of the digital realm without a care or concern. All of a sudden, in a few short weeks, many of the traditional economic wheels ground to a halt and almost everyone became effectively stay at homers, with the exception of our blessed healthcare professionals, first-responders, long-term care workers, grocery store staff and essential workforce.

Not only did our traditional lives change dramatically, but so too did our digital existence. Online gaming and digital content consumption went up 75% literally overnight. Amazon became our best friend delivering almost daily. While it may have seemed novel initially, it quickly started to give way to a new reality with things like our kids being home but still needing to be educated, and we started to keep up with family via texts, calls and Zoom instead of holding face to face family gatherings. For many of us, it also has meant finding reliable ways to stay in touch with our clients and business associates and doing more online which has made things a bit more complicated.

With rising security and regulatory concerns, for both companies and consumers alike, we are starting to see more requests for personal data and secondary validation, like sending text codes to our phones. However, what happens if someone spoofs my mobile phone SIM card, gets access to my Evernote or Google account, steals my phone or looks at my PIN or ID? What if someone impersonates me online causing others hardship? These things happen to a lot people and can cause problems — credit can be damaged, money can be stolen, and lives can be ruined online much easier than we imagine.

Now, more than ever, we need something that we control to prove who we are, which brings rise to the question, “how might we do that?” You might think that we are being a bit overdramatic and sure, our online bank knows who we are and so do a few of the online services we use — but do they really know who is accessing the online account?

For many financial institutions, access is as easy as presenting a username and password. Every day, we hear about all the crazy phishing emails trying to steal our personal data passwords or the scams to send gift cards to pay fictitious government fees and other forms of debt. Bad Actors and nefarious characters are really good at stealing your identity and profiting from your misery.

Should a simple username and password, which we forget all the time and have to reset, be the way we protect ourselves from potential financial and personal ruin? Is that the extent of our online identity? Really?

Digitally, each of us can be viewed as the sum of our online bits, crumbs, cookies or pieces and many of these pieces, have been owned by corporations, and potentially stolen by criminals, that mine your data, personality and online presence for their own benefit. However, recent changes in privacy rules and data protection regulations in many parts of the world have truly started to shift the power to the people.

So, what does that mean for each of us today? As we spend more of our everyday lives online, it is going to be essential to be able to prove who we are especially when it comes to areas like:

· Reduction of situations that can lead to potential identity fraud

· Validation of online purchases

· eSports, online gaming and social media interactions

· Information and data services

· Education — Online E-Learning

· Government

· Healthcare

There’s got to be a way to combine all the disparate digital identities and pieces in one simple format or container together with your online keys to valuable data vaults, like email, eCommerce accounts and secure accounts, among others.

We believe there is, and that’s why KABN, a global company focused on digital verification, management and monetization, where the data is owned by users, has created Liquid Avatars (www.liquidavatar.com) to provide an easy-to-use solution to this growing and challenging problem.

A Liquid Avatar works with all your online identity information and makes it simple to provide validation and authentication to just about anyone on a permission basis. It’s a digital wallet and keyring which mimics real world activities, together with your biometric (facial recognition, voice, fingerprint and other data that makes you unique) making it as easy to prove identity online as it is in the real world.

Liquid Avatars work in combination with KABN’s reusable, Always On, biometrically enabled digital identity platform enabling anyone with a mobile phone, tablet, camera enabled laptop or desktop, to create a personal online Digital ID with a greater measure of verification.

Over the course of the next few articles, we will demonstrate how Liquid Avatar and the KABN Network have created innovative solutions to manage digital identity in a quickly evolving marketplace.

Thank you for reading,

David

David Lucatch has been active in the technology space for over 35 years and has run both private and public companies in the technology and media industries, as an early adopter of the Internet, eCommerce, payment and global language solutions. David is the Co-Founder and President of the KABN Network (www.kabn.network) and its North American company, KABN Systems North America Inc. (www.kabnsystemsna.com).

KABN believes that ownership of identity is a basic human right and individuals should be the primary beneficiary of any use of their identity. KABN delivers world-class solutions that enable users to verify, manage and monetize their digital identity.

KABN has recently launched Liquid Avatar (www.liquidavatar.com) to empower consumers to manage and control their digital identity.