humanID and Polarizer: Fostering Positive Dialogue in the Digital Space
humanID is happy to announce that we will be partnering with Polarizer!
Polarizer.io proposes that we should all love to disagree. The public interest technology provides a platform for individuals to hold healthy, productive online discussions with unlike-minded users. Present-day online discussions are riddled with divisiveness, incendiary and harmful language, and echo chambers. Engagement with opposing or alternative viewpoints is highly discouraged, which limits dialogue and warps perspectives.
Spurred by concerns over the weaponization of free speech in Crimea in 2014, Polarizer seeks to foster social cohesion. Rather than condemn polarization altogether, Polarizer aims to reward positive conversations between disagreeing or dissimilar individuals through a unique, self-regulating system.
Each individual has the opportunity to post their opinion on a chosen topic, request to start a conversation and see these conversation ratings visualized as a network graph. In the graph, red lines represent a mutually negative response, while green lines signify a mutually enjoyable dialogue. The more positive conversations a participant has with diverse groups, the better their chances are of earning NOH8 tokens. These tokens let users partake in decision-making at Polarizer and could be sold on crypto exchanges in the future.
Tackling tough issues
Polarizer’s unique model has emerged at a time when the need for balanced, respectful discussion in politics has reached an all-time high. On most mainstream platforms, bots and other inauthentic users can amplify certain viewpoints — often the most extreme.
With humanID, Polarizer can ensure that each opinion is weighted equally. Every user has one identity and one voice. humanID’s technology makes certain that a select few, under the guise of many user identities, don’t drown out discourse.
“Doing free speech right isn’t only a matter of design, it’s also a technical challenge. With humanID’s easy-to-use login method we offer individuals using Polarizer.io full anonymity yet ensure a high level of genuine accounts,” says Polarizer.io founder Iwan Ittermann.
The anonymity that humanID’s secure login provides also safeguards users from backlash and retaliation. Since the cost of bot networks increases by 30–40x with humanID, individuals are protected from doxxing or attacks by coordinated bot armies for expressing their opinions online.
Since humanID requires a phone number for each user, coordinated bot attacks are too costly for spammers or political actors trying to over-amplify their voice.
“Like the Polarizer.io team, at humanID we are democracy enthusiasts,” says humanID co-founder Bastian Purrer. “We believe that people should be able to express an opinion without fear of censorship or attacks from dissenting users. Together, Polarizer and humanID offer a better way to create a civil, humane public sphere based on accountability.”
Paired with humanID’s anonymous, bot-proof login, Polarizer.io will ensure that individuals remain protected and free from the type of harmful, direct backlash that often manifests in other, less secure settings on the web.
As Polarizer.io founder Iwan Itterman states:
“If we can offer people involved in unpleasant social media discussion a better experience in talking politics with people they disagree with, we proved our value proposition.”
This partnership is a monumental step toward achieving humanID’s and Polarizer.io’s shared goal of fostering authentic, honest interactions between individuals. The less friction and conflict we have on an individual level, the better our chances are of reaching comprehensive, widespread solutions to deep-seated societal rifts that continue to threaten the fabric of our democracy.
Find out more about Polarizer’s work here. More information about humanID is available at human-id.org.
What’s humanID?
humanID is a new anonymous online identity that blocks bots and social media manipulation. If you care about privacy and protecting free speech, consider supporting humanID at www.human-id.org, and follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.
