Identity Systems Must Work for the Disconnected

Why It Matters

If identity infrastructure fails to serve the disconnected, businesses and public services risk losing market access, perpetuating exclusion and regulatory friction while undermining goals for digital inclusion and economic participation.

Summary

A new analysis warns that current digital identity systems systematically exclude roughly 2.7 billion people who lack smartphones, creating a large disconnected population unable to access financial, governmental, and commercial digital services. The piece argues for practical solutions—offline attestations, peer-signed credentials and other low-tech interoperable mechanisms—to authenticate users without constant internet or device dependence. If identity infrastructure fails to serve the disconnected, businesses and public services risk losing market access, perpetuating exclusion and regulatory friction while undermining goals for digital inclusion and economic participation.