On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. But not for much longer. .

A European solution to verify yourself online without compromising your privacy is coming up. And it is promising. 

Disinformation, fake identities, stolen data, and manipulated images have become standard features of our digital lives. We don’t know if we can trust what we read or what we see. Fake is often the default. But how did we get to that point? 

Winding back to the flourishing of the world wide web in the 1990s, the mood was different. Optimism was key, and the ability to share information across the world in a split second was overwhelming. Many believed it would end the days of oppressive governments misleading populations or global corporations hiding their misdeeds. It seemed possible to share everything in a free and open environment. 

As the Internet evolved, it changed from a space for publishing static content to a dynamic universe where anyone could enjoy their “15 minutes of fame” by sharing content on new social media platforms. 

What happened? Why did we go from such an optimistic mode to such a dark reality? 

The first answer is the fact that the content on the Internet shifted. In the beginning, content providers like news outlets, businesses, and institutions paid Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to make content available on websites. That was the first version of the web. It changed when it became easier for everyone to share data. The development of social media platforms was phase two, or Web 2.0, as many call it. With phase two, the business model of the Internet shifted. Now it was ‘free’ to share data, and the ISP business made revenue from selling users’ data and providing advertising to users. 

This leads to the second answer. With a business model based on traffic, data, and advertising – but not on content quality – the web became an eldorado for those who wanted to manipulate the public by creating false content. It also allowed for the development of a wide range of scams, identity theft, fake shops, and other criminal activity. 

What was originally seen as a safe haven for sharing solid content has turned into a maelstrom of garbage. Especially because the digital sphere has no tradition of methodically checking who the user is, and which physical identity is behind the screen. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The more users in the system, the more successful the business. 

Digital identities are common 

Governments and banks have always known who their users are and have needed to verify their identity when accessing services digitally. So, to circumvent the identity issue, Nordic governments and the banking sector began a unique collaboration. They developed a common identity system that proves who the user is while they conduct activities online. 

Digital identities are more common than many of us think. We typically carry two items that hold a digital identity: our credit card and our mobile phone. When travelling, we often carry our passports too. Each of these contains a digital component, a tiny computer designed to perform only a few highly specialized tasks. Signing a transaction with a digital signature is one of them. A digital signature is like the one we use with ink on paper. It’s just done using clever mathematics and some very big prime numbers instead. In the end, we arrive at the same result: a legally binding signature that proves your identity in combination with a specific transaction. 

Solid digital identities are thus used millions of times daily all over the world. But it is technology that evolves in parallel processes without any forced collaboration. This is exactly what the EU and its 27 member states now aim to change.