Ask HN: Anyone Working on the Passports of the Future?
This might sound stupid, but is anyone working on revolutionizing passports? Would it make sense to have passports issued by an entity that is not a country? How about virtual passports? Blockchain?
Pains with the current systems: physical document (can be lost, stolen, forgotten, etc.), harder to renew and receive when living abroad, needs to be renewed every X years (and some countries require more paperwork than others)
2 comments
[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 18.5 ms ] thread>> Would it make sense to have passports issued by an entity that is not a country?
Not really. What would it even mean?
If I have a digitally signed document that says "FIRST_NAME LAST_NAME is a citizen of the Internet" or "FIRST_NAME LAST_NAME is a certified member of Blockchain Buddies" would it be officially recognized by other governments?
Passports are legal documents which show that a person belongs to a certain nation and that that nation "has their back" or at a minimum where to send the person if you want to deport them.
>> How about virtual passports? Blockchain?
Nations could issue fully digital passports or identity certificates, but it does not need blockchain-based technology to work. Existing cryptography tech like digitally-signed certificates and public key cryptography are sufficient.
>> certifying the holder's identity and citizenship and entitling them to travel under its protection
Couldn't a company certify someone's identity too and provide the "protection" too?
>> Not really. What would it even mean?
For example, people from <bad country> wouldn't be denied entry to another country just because they were born there. A company/org could provide a more hollistic identity?
Finally, couldn't the transition start if a small country rents its passport-issuing powers to a company for a fee (similar to the golden visa programs)? That could get the startup going, allowing it to offer passport subscriptions (without nationality perhaps) to citizens of the world?