How GlobaliD verifications preserve your privacy
GlobaliD is a self-sovereign identity (SSI) solution that puts individuals back in control of their identity and their data while preserving their privacy.
A key pillar of this solution is the concept of verifications. The idea is pretty straightforward:
Verifications provide objective proof that users’ provided information was verified as true by a specific third-party verification agency.
For instance, with GlobaliD, I can obtain a verification of my government ID through Onfido, a verification agency, which is now attached to my unique GlobaliD name. Any service that requires a verified government ID can now see that I indeed have one — without ever needing to access my government ID or the corresponding data.
It’s a simple concept that can have a profound impact on your privacy and the ownership of your identity and your data.
With verifications, you can:
- Share proof of verification — without sharing the underlying private information
- Choose who you share your data with — which is protected by a vault and encrypted individually
- Share only relevant information — for instance, that you are over 21 without exposing your date of birth
- Reuse verifications — meaning that your private information is shared less often
This framework for verifications is in stark contrast to how things typically work today, where you have to share your underlying private information in order to be verified and authenticated for every new service you sign up for.
With the identity status quo, you’re essentially sharing all your private information all the time wherever you go.
An example of how this might work is if you need to access age-restricted goods and services, such as purchasing wine from your favorite online retailer.
Consider how it would typically work today. In order for them to verify that you’re over 21 (in the U.S.), you might have to share a copy of your government ID during the checkout process. Not only are you sharing a lot of extra information and handing over sensitive documents, if you later decide to buy a box of cigars as a gift for father’s day, you’ll have to repeat that process. Every service will need a copy of your identifying documents.
With GlobaliD verifications, you’ll only need to verify your age with documentation once with a trusted verification provider. Once you’ve collected your verification, you now have proof that you’re of age and able to make those purchases.
In this case, those same retailers only need to see that you have proof of verification — in other words, that you’re over 21. They don’t need to know all the extraneous stuff, like your date of birth, home address, or ID number — sensitive personal information that’s also included on your government ID. Moreover, they don’t need a copy of it, period. Now, you can reuse that same verification many times over anytime you need to prove that you’re of age.
By using verifications with GlobaliD, you only share what’s necessary with those you want — and in many cases, without exposing your underlying private information.
Some examples of verifications you can collect today through the GlobaliD app (with new verification providers being added to the marketplace regularly):
- Email (Ekata, Berbix, Mandrill, and others)
- Age (AgeChecker.Net)
- Phone number (Ekata, Berbix, Civic, and others)
- Address verification (Ekata, Onfido, Yodlee, and others)
- Liveness (Google, Verifi.me)
- Government ID (Onfido, Berbix, Veriff, Civic, and others)
- Social media account (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google)
- Bank account (Yodlee and others)
- Cryptocurrency wallets (Zabo)
- Accredited investor status (InvestReady)
- Sanctions watchlists screening (Uphold)
- College degree (National Student Clearinghouse)
- Peer-to-peer vouches
- Among many others!
Collecting verifications allows you to build your reputation and develop trust, providing access to an increasing number of products and services.
Likewise, businesses are able to customize their compliance needs depending on the level of trust their services require. This enables them to not only offer a greater array of products and services, it also expands their potential customer base.
Join a growing trusted community and experience how digital identity works for you.
