The GID Report #7 — Self Sovereign Identity Incubator Edition!
Welcome to The GID Report, a biweekly update that includes globaliD team news, market perspectives, and industry analysis. Check out the last report here.
This week, we’ll be covering:
- The SSI Incubator kickoff!
- People care about privacy
- This week in Libra
- This week in messaging
- This week in regulations
- Stuff happens
- Shoutouts
1. The SSI Incubator kicks off with a bang
Last week saw the official launch of the SSI Incubator bringing in five identity-focused teams from around the world from places like Germany, Colombia and Canada.
Over the three months, the inaugural cohort will receive mentorship, technical support and plenty of networking opportunities all columinating in a demo day at the end of the class.
In all the launch was a huge success.
I had the pleasure of interviewing all 5 startups and the amount of passion for identity in the room was visceral. There is a movement around identity bubbling and you can feel it in your bones. It’s happening.
We also had a packed house Tuesday night for the big kickoff event — which featured representatives from companies like Microsoft and uPort/Consensys — no easy feat considering two other identity-focused events in the area at the same time. It’s yet another testament to the breadth and depth of this emerging movement.
With Greg leading the charge, it was standing room only:
There’s much more to come. Stay tuned!
2. Some illuminating insights around privacy from a Harris Poll survey conducted by IBM:
- 7 out of 10 people say they know their data doesn’t necessarily stay with the original company they share it with. And over half of them have personally had their data compromised, or know someone who has had their data compromised.
- Consumers say they value their privacy more than product quality, by a score of 53% to 44%.
- Two-thirds of those surveyed strongly believe that businesses should be doing more to protect their data.
- More than three-fourths of those surveyed say they would share more data if they could later take it back.
- The vast majority of those polled (84%) agreed with the notion that consumers have lost control over how personal information is being used by companies.
3. This week in Libra:
Facebook Libra Brings ‘Risks and Opportunities’: Swiss Watchdog Chief — CoinDesk
FACEBOOK’S LIBRA CRYPTOCURRENCY WILL BE BLOCKED IN EUROPE, FRANCE SAYS
Regulators will question representatives of digital currency over threat to financial stability
Libra Alarm Sounded in EU With Warning on High Bar for Approval
Period Tracking Apps Used By Millions Of Women Are Sharing Incredibly Sensitive Data With Facebook
Via Greg — Aussie IPO hopeful in limbo after sudden Facebook ban
Greg (via Twitter): Facebook’s efforts to correct privacy and security vulnerabilities unfortunately morphs into anti-competitive behavior by interfering with users rights to share their data as they see fit. Trying to control “use” through restricting “access” is abusive.
4. This week in messaging
Kakao’s Klay Cryptocurrency to Make First Exchange Listing — CoinDesk
Stellar to Airdrop 2 Billion XLM Crypto Tokens Worth $120 Million — CoinDesk
Tim Draper Joins Board of EOS-Based Messaging Dapp MakeSense — CoinDesk
Telegram Finally Releases Code for Its $1.7 Billion TON Blockchain — CoinDesk
5. This week in regulations
Fake Facebook pages for veterans raised cash, spread lies for years
2020 misinformation threats extend beyond Russia
Via Jacob — Crypto Firms Assess How to Comply With Anti-Money-Laundering Standards
Ripple Avoids Securities Question in Motion to Dismiss XRP Lawsuit — CoinDesk
Facebook’s commitment to the Oversight Board
U.S. dollar to be main currency underpinning Facebook’s Libra: Spiegel
Via Jacob — Foreign Banks Risk Losing Dollar Access Under Expanded U.S. Counter-Terror Powers
How Each Big Tech Company May Be Targeted by Regulators
Google Antitrust Investigation Outlined by State Attorneys General
Facebook, Google face off against a formidable new foe: State attorneys general
5. Stuff happens
Via Taku — Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy
Via Craig — Nextdoor adds new funding from Mary Meeker’s Bond, closes growth round at $170M — TechCrunch
The end of money as we know it
China: State-backed digital currency could be ready by this year
Via Erik — Identicons for Stellar addresses
‘We’re at War’: A Covert Social Media Campaign Boosts Military Rulers
Bot Attacks, Networked Cross-Organizational Crime Both Growing Fraud Trends: Report
We’re living in an era of digital feudalism. Here’s how to take your data and identity back
Via Rebecca — Monster.com says a third party exposed user data but didn’t tell anyone — TechCrunch
9. Shoutouts
Greg Kidd — Co-Founder and CEO
Taku Kawane — VP of Product
Rebecca Schwartz — Product Manager
Jacob Cohen — Head of Compliance
Erik Westra — Engineering Architect
Craig Dalton — Executive Director, Bike Index
