* [Verifiable Credentials go mainstream at Identiverse 2022](https://www.biometricupdate.com/202206/verifiable-credentials-go-mainstream-at-identiverse-2022)Biometric Update
Verifiable Credentials was a breakthrough topic and it’s clearly on the path to mainstream adoption. Main sessions by Microsoft and Avast showcased their application of VCs in the IAM landscape, showing VCs aren’t the future anymore–they are the present.
* [Huge data leak shatters the lie that the innocent need not fear surveillance](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/jul/18/huge-data-leak-shatters-lie-innocent-need-not-fear-surveillance)
Few pause to think that their phones can be transformed into surveillance devices, with someone thousands of miles away silently extracting their messages, photos and location, activating their microphone to record them in real time.
Such are the capabilities of Pegasus, the spyware manufactured by NSO Group, the Israeli purveyor of weapons of mass surveillance.
* [IATA app (by Evernym) makes CNN Travel](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/iata-travel-pass/index.html)
"Governments decide the requirements to travel; airlines and passengers need to comply," says the IATA on its website, emphasizing that the airline body is not itself mandating that passengers must have a Covid-19 vaccine in order to travel.
* [Media Mention: MIT Technology Review](https://identitywoman.net/media-mention-mit-technology-review/)Kaliya Young
I was quoted in the article in MIT Technology Review on April 6, 2022, “Deception, exploited workers, and cash handouts: How Worldcoin recruited its first half a million test users.”
* [Using Digital Identity To Prevent The Sale Of Age-Restricted Products](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/12/02/using-digital-identity-to-prevent-the-sale-of-age-restricted-products/?sh=5de510a97f9d)Forbes 2021-12-02
This is not limited to alcohol, however. It also includes other age-restricted products such as tobacco, cannabis (where legal of course), vaping products, gambling, some movie tickets and even lottery tickets.
* [Do we really need (or want) the State to provide us with digital identification?](https://www.libertarianism.org/articles/self-sovereign-identity-blockchain-age)LIberatarianism.org
With identity being the missing link, the advent of self‐sovereign identity could finally bring ambitious projects like[Bitnation](https://tse.bitnation.co/)to fruition. This virtual blockchain jurisdiction wants to establish a blockchain‐based self‐administration or, as the project itself advertises, “a toolbox for do‐it‐yourself governance.” With the concept of self‐sovereign identity being implemented properly, new digital nations such as Bitnation could compete against old territorial tax states.
* [Beyond The Device With Self-Sovereign Identities](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alastairjohnson/2021/11/15/beyond-the-device-with-self-sovereign-identities/)Forbes 2021-11-15
> In 2021, the average cost of a data breach reached an all-time high of [$4.24 million](https://www.upguard.com/blog/cost-of-data-breach), even though businesses are already spending millions more to combat financial crime and meet their regulatory and compliance responsibilities.
* [Digital Identity: The Trending Tech Concept Changing How We Live](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2021/10/15/digital-identity-the-trending-tech-concept-changing-how-we-live/?sh=3e004c6c2c4c) 2021-10-15Forbes
> Identification is key to our success. It determines the jobs we get, the money we make, how we can manage our health, and more. The fact of the matter is that 3.4 billion people have access to legally recognized identification but still [have difficulty using that identification online](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/digital-identification-a-key-to-inclusive-growth).
* [Self-Sovereign Identity: Taking Control Over Your Digital Identity](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/09/26/self-sovereign-identity-taking-control-over-your-digital-identity/?sh=797222d64e0c)Forbes 2022-09-26
> The two main ingredients of SSI are verifiable credentials (VCs) and decentralized identifiers (DIDs).
