Sovereign identity has been a hot topic in blockchain and cryptocurrency, especially with the rise of the creator economy. Currently, there are two types of digital identities. The first is federated and centralized, whereby data is in the control of the service provider, while the second is self-sovereign digital identity. The later is often cited as a human right that can reclaim agency using blockchain technology, but what frameworks exist that aid in governing it?<\/p>\n On this episode of NFT Steez<\/a>, <\/em>co-hosts Ray Salmond and Alyssa Exposito <\/em>meet with Marjorie Hernandez, the co-founder of Lukso and The Dematerialized, to discuss the state of blockchain-based identities and \u201cUniversal Profiles.\u201d According to Hernandez, \u201ceverything will have a digital identity\u201d\u00a0in the future<\/p>\n During the interview, Hernandez explained the paradigm shift between centralized platforms to a more \u201cplatformless future\u201d and stressed that users need to be in control of their identities and creation on more \u201cagnostic platforms\u201d where they can own their intellectual property via Universal Profiles.<\/p>\n Lukso\u2019s integration of Universal Profiles enables users and creators to reclaim their identities and issue their intellectual property in a symbiotic manner between creator and user. According to Hernandez, the Universal Profile can be seen as a personal operating system whereby one can authenticate themselves but also send, receive and create assets.<\/p>\n As Hernandez puts it, Universal Profiles are:<\/p>\n \u201cA Swiss Army-type tool that is serving so many purposes for the user.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Related:\u00a0Web3 is crucial for data sovereignty in the metaverse<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Understandably, the emphasis on identity within Web3 began to spark up again when 2D profile-picture NFTs began to emerge. This surge was framed as a means to represent and identify oneself, as well as a flex, or an expression of ego. For some, their physical and social identities were traded for their newly adopted digital avatars.<\/p>\n However, Hernandez argued that while some perceive digital as masking one\u2019s true self, people will be emboldened \u201cto move beyond these predispositions\u201d and express their \u201ctrue real self\u201d\u00a0in a \u201cdecentralized digital environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The basis of Hernandez\u2019s thesis is that blockchain-based identity is not only verifiable but gives users 100% control of their data, identity and IP.<\/p>\n When asked by a listener what communities should be doing to ensure the standards surrounding self-sovereignty and that users are no longer \u201cconsumers\u201d but active co-participants in the ecosystem, Hernandez simply noted:<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s just being co-creator, right? And you start building with it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To hear more on this discussion, be sure sure to listen to the full episode of NFT Steez<\/em> on the new Cointelegraph Podcasts page<\/a> or on Spotify<\/a>, Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Google Podcasts<\/a> or TuneIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/s3.cointelegraph.com\/uploads\/2023-01\/4bcfe25d-f497-4a45-af78-36f863c21bc8.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nOnboarding into the digital realm should be frictionless for sovereign Universal Profiles<\/h2>\n
Blockchain-based identities in Web3<\/h2>\n