In the race to digitize everything—frombanking to borders—identity has become the next great frontier. And with it, anavalanche of new proposals are being introduced: biometric passports,iris-scanning crypto wallets, and global identity registries powered byblockchain.
The idea of a"one-person-one-identity" future is compelling. At a glance, itpromises inclusion, transparency, and global interoperability. But beneath thesurface lies a deeper tension between technological ambition and the ethical,practical, and human realities of identity—especially in complex, high-riskenvironments.
As someone who’s spent years buildingdecentralized identity infrastructure for sectors like construction, oil &gas, and industrial manufacturing, I’ve seen firsthand where theory meetsfriction.
And I’ve come to believe this:
We don’t need more scans. We need more safeguards.
Biometrics—whether fingerprints, irisscans, or facial recognition—offer a fast and often accurate way to tie adigital identity to a physical person. They’re hard to forge, easy to verify,and nearly impossible to lose.
But biometrics aren’t neutral. They’resensitive, permanent, and—once compromised—cannot be reissued. Unlike apassword or even a digital wallet, you can’t change your iris.
This becomes particularly dangerous whenbiometric identity systems are controlled by centralized entities or protocolsthat don’t account for edge cases: what if someone opts out? What if consent iscoerced? What if that data is breached?
In the sectors we work with atNashid—massive construction zones, oil pipelines, and manufacturingsites—identity is more than access control. It governs everything from who getspaid to who’s allowed on-site, and whether the site remains compliant with laborand safety regulations.
If a worker’s credentials aren’t verified,they might be denied entry to a site. If those credentials are fake—or issuedwithout oversight—the consequences can range from regulatory penalties tolife-threatening safety violations.
In this context, identity must be:
- Tamper-proof
- Context-aware
- Compliant by design
- Verifiable offline or in low-connectivity environments
And perhaps most importantly, respectful of the person behind the data.
Rather than aggregating all data in oneplace or scanning workers en masse, Nashid uses decentralized identity andverifiable credentials (VCs) to enable a worker to carry their own trusted,auditable information—securely and privately.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- A worker receives a digital wallet tied to their verified ID, trainingcertifications, and work history.
- Site access control systems verify these credentials without needing to storeor centralize the data.
- Compliance officers, employers, and government bodies can all plug in—withfull transparency and zero overreach.
It’s not just a technical solution. It’s amodel of trust.
Innovative identity pilots are taking placeeverywhere—from refugee registration camps to AI-driven hiring platforms. Manyof them deserve praise.
But when innovation skips over foundationalquestions—who governs it, who profits from it, and how people can opt outwithout being locked out—we risk repeating the same centralization problems weset out to solve.
That’s why, at Nashid, we don’t chasetrends.
We build infrastructure.
And infrastructure, especially in theindustrial world, needs to be:
- Durable
- Compliant
- Locally integrated
- And above all, fair
The future of identity is coming. But itwon’t arrive with a single scan, chain, or protocol.
It will come from listening to those whoare excluded today. From building systems that respect sovereignty—ofindividuals, of nations, and of organizations. From choosing transparency overopacity, and interoperability over lock-in.
As we look ahead, the question is no longerwhether digital identity will scale—it’s how it will scale, and who it willserve.
Let’s make sure it serves the people whoneed it most.
