Proof-of-humanity can’t come soon enough.
We’re talking about privacy-preserving proof of age, but as we see here the real utility of such a system will be proof of humanity.
We’re talking about privacy-preserving proof of age, but as we see here the real utility of such a system will be proof of humanity.
How do you ensure it includes every human?
How do you ensure it doesn’t include every non-human?
I’m not even asking about computation or algorithms. I straight up don’t think you can make a definition that isn’t a tautology or an approximation. Both of which are useful, but neither of which can fit a _proof_.
Let's say that 95% of individual humans can pass it and only 2% of bots. For someone maintaining a website, who has to decide between using this system and shutting down their site because of the increased costs, that may very well be good enough
I want to take my existing national digital ID and use it online basically. BUT I don’t want the websites to know it’s me. Just that I’m human (or perhaps over a certain age). And I don’t want the ID issuer to know what site/service asked whether I’m a human or I’m 18 etc.
I actually doubt that! And in places that do I doubt it’s perfection. Citizenship is mostly defined legally. Residency has a legal definition that may or may not track with reality. Most legal regimes I’m aware of (IANAL) define personhood; whether humanness is defined I’m less sure of. Things that are more nebulous and subjective…sometimes they’re defined, but necessarily subjectively so.
And that gets you into dangerous territory if you’re at the margins.
A fun example: how do you define “alive”? Does the person have to have been born? Are there conditions on that? Would they exclude some people we think of as alive? Does the person’s body need to be self-sufficient or can it rely on mechanical or other intervention? Is there a line? Is the person alive if their body is functioning but their brain is not? What about vice-versa? And even if the answers to all these questions are currently perfect, what happens if and when the definition shifts?
Being alive and human is messy business. And this is setting aside the discussion of making government issued records safely usable without leaking, which they already aren’t.
Of course the debate would revolve around ”is it fine to have a national government issued ID be the ultimate proof of your identity/humanity?”
It’s problematic - yet I think it’s better than the alternative.