{"id":105202,"date":"2022-12-02T15:53:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.dash.org\/?p=105202"},"modified":"2022-12-02T15:55:47","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:55:47","slug":"creating-identity-on-dash-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.dash.org\/blog\/creating-identity-on-dash-platform\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Identity On Dash Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"
Per Article 8 of the UN\u2019s Convention on the Rights of the Child, personal identity is a fundamental right. At its core, identity is defined as \u201cthe fact of being who or what a person or thing is.\u201d\u00a0 Today, we will see how decentralized identity, as provided by Dash Platform, helps you overcome the weaknesses of traditional official identity.<\/span><\/p>\n Your official identity plays a crucial role in establishing who you are and is required for you to function in any capacity as a citizen. Your government identity consists of multiple data points like \u2013 Name, Date of Birth, Nationality, Identifier, etc. You must use your government identity to obtain essential services such as bank accounts, healthcare, social benefits, pension, etc.<\/p>\n However, there are three major issues with centralized identity:<\/p>\n Issuance<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n As per the World Bank, over a billion people worldwide don\u2019t have any claims to their identity<\/a>. After all, these identities are issued by a centralized body. Some people simply don\u2019t have the means to get their identities issued.<\/p>\n Mismanagement<\/strong><\/em> Theft<\/strong><\/em> The consequences here are pretty devastating. Identity theft and fraud have been on the rise. As per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the amount of identity theft and related fraud rose significantly<\/a> in the US in 2021. Here are some stats to ponder:<\/p>\n So, what\u2019s the solution here? Maybe, practicing self-sovereign identity is the way forward?<\/p>\n Self-sovereignty, in general, means you have the moral right to fully control your body and life. Self-sovereign identity is a digital identity where individuals have complete control over their data. Previously, in a web2 ecosystem, this was nearly impossible.<\/p>\n However, things have changed with the advent of web3 and the incorporation of blockchain technology. As a result, it is now possible to deploy decentralized identity.<\/p>\n Before going any further, let\u2019s see how the blockchain helps mitigate the two biggest problems with digital identity:<\/p>\n One of the main things Satoshi Nakamoto solved with Bitcoin and blockchain technology is “double spending.” Double spending was a problem in previous iterations of digital currencies, wherein it was possible to spend the same coin in more than one transaction simultaneously.<\/p>\n So, how do cryptocurrencies like DASH fix this issue?<\/p>\n Now, expand the same concept to identity. You shouldn\u2019t be able to \u201cdouble spend\u201d your identity either. After all, no two people can have the same identity, correct?<\/p>\n With blockchain-based identities, we can be confident that our identity can\u2019t be stolen\/duplicated because the associated data is cryptographically protected and owned by us, not by a third party.<\/p>\n The second problem is the tamperability of digital identity. With digital identity, we have the following risks:<\/p>\n Blockchain mitigates these issues by being an immutable source of truth. Cryptographic hash functions secure all the data stored within the blocks. As such, it is impossible to tamper with data once it has entered the chain. The only exception is if someone controls>51% of the network hashrate and rewrites the chain\u2019s history by forking the protocol. Dash specifically mitigates this attack scenario<\/a>, as well. With ChainLocks, even controlling 51% of the network hashrate can\u2019t rewrite the chain history.<\/p>\nThe problems with traditional identity<\/h2>\n
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\nOf course, this is the perennial problem with centralized storage. When you trust a third party to store your private data, you trust them to manage it properly. More often than not, this trust could be misplaced.<\/p>\n
\nFinally, when you use a centralized server to store all your data, you create an easy target for hackers. The potential ramifications and identity theft could have devastating consequences. For example, Equifax, one of the top credit-reporting companies, was breached in 2017. It is estimated that half the US population lost their Social Security Numbers during the breach.<\/p>\n\n
What is Self-Sovereign Identity?<\/h2>\n
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#1 Fixing replicability<\/h2>\n
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#2 Tamper resistance<\/h2>\n
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Dash Platform and Digital Identity<\/h2>\n