RE: [EXT] Could Jevons Paradox take digital credentials in the wrong direction?

Kyle,

the concerns you raise contributed directly to the formation of the (now unfortunately completely dormant) Generative Identity effort: https://generative-identity.org/

I also used to have regular chats with Nathan George at Sovrin on the topic of "How do we avoid contributing directly to a dystopian nightmare future, and even avoid one if possible?"

All that to say, I'd love to talk more about the potential negative impact of our technologies on the human lives most of us are actively trying to improve.


From: Kyle Den Hartog <kyle@pryvit.tech>
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2023 3:27 PM
To: W3C Credentials Community Group <public-credentials@w3.org>
Subject: [EXT] Could Jevons Paradox take digital credentials in the wrong direction?

I've been thinking of expanding on my thoughts laid out in this issue[1] about the potential harmful impact our work may lead to on the web. I know traditionally the answer to this has been governance frameworks, but I'm concerned that some governments and later the market due to Jevons Paradox[2] are actually taking this technology in the wrong direction which could lead to harmful effects. Particularly as more and more credentials become available. Is this a view that concerns others within this community and is there something we believe that should be done here or do others think this work is justified and a net gain overall? I'd love to get more people weighing in on that issue given this community's involvement in the credentials space. Where do you all land in this topic?

[1]: https://github.com/WICG/mobile-document-request-api/issues/6
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox