The idea is to create Internet-wide, machine-readable identities where the individual have control about what to disclose to whom and for what purpose. Blind signatures can be used to preserve privacy and avoid to turn these systems into a creepy, covert world-wide ID card scheme.

Virtual worlds – and in general any IT system – can use the information that we decided to disclose to choose what kind of services we can legally access.

This allows all combination of acceptable behaviour between parties to happen, instead of restricting it to the least common denominator of all possible parties.

I personally wish that an harmonizing movement will surface at the end, to push personal liberty and personal judgement as the only limit of our behaviour (using Identity 2.0 tools to selectively disclose personal information that allow others and us to make informed decisions). I do however realize that it won’t happen soon nor easily.