This is a new report from Future Agenda on the Future of of Digital Identity.  In the short term, new solutions are likely to move us towards the promise of a single Digital ID that allows us to simply, safely and securely navigate a connected world. This single ID could allow us to swiftly cross an international border and hire a car, use multiple credit cards, change our bank account, and at the same time act as a robust login tool for any and every online digital service we chose. Furthermore, the promise is that it could do all of this whilst affording more privacy to an individual than is currently the case.

Looking further forward, the changes could be even more profound. The ways that we digitally manage, share and verify our personal information could well come to completely redefine the human digital experience. Current digital business models that seem immutable could collapse. Centres of digital power might shift radically. And the current personal data ‘land grab’ could be replaced by a new digital norm in which individuals can finally make meaningful claims to data ownership and control.

However, there are a number of potentially calamitous pitfalls to navigate along the way. Some of these could lead to whole new kinds of digital dystopia.

At the end of 2018, Future Agenda undertook a major project exploring the Future of Digital Identity. With the generous support of Mastercard, the Future Agenda team ran a series of expert workshops in different locations around the world that explored the key factors that are likely to shape the future of digital identity. The programme began with an initial perspective as a provocation. Participants in the workshops then gave us new, more fully formed, insights which were in turn explored further during one-to-one interviews with major stakeholders and thinkers in the space.

We are proud to launch the report of the findings of that work. A summarised version can also be found here. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of those who contributed to the programme.

As always, we consider our reports to be the start point for further conversations, and would welcome further input. If you would like to join the conversation, you can join our LinkedIn Group here. If you have any further questions or would like to have a conversation about how your organisation can best make use of our respond to the implications of the Future of Digital Identity please contact one of

Dr. Robin Pharoah https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinpharoah,

James Alexander https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/james-alexander/0/747/617

Patrick Harris https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-harris-