Introducing Default Identity
Default: A Universal Customer Account Platform for the Internet
Today, each business has their own system for customers to manage their account information. This means that every time a customer signs up for a new app or service, they have to create an entirely new account — requiring them to remember another password, provide another copy of their personal information, and configure another set of security features to protect their sensitive data.
In reality, however, a customer’s information stays the same regardless of the apps or services they use. This results in a huge problem of having hundreds of separate accounts spread out across the web all trying to keep track of the same few pieces of information.
This problem affects both customers and businesses alike: customers struggle manage their information across all their accounts, while businesses end up with incomplete and inaccurate data about who their customers are. It also compromises online privacy and security by reducing customer visibility into who has access to their personal information, while making it difficult for businesses to manage their customers’ information responsibly.
Products like password managers or digital wallets exist to help customers address specific aspects of account management today, but are ultimately just painkillers that alleviate the symptoms of an underlying disease; they do nothing to provide the cure. More importantly, access to privacy and security shouldn’t be offered to customers as a paid service or premium feature— it should be provided by default.
Default is a universal customer account system that provides a publicly accessible source of truth for customer information that is managed directly by the customers themselves. Rather than having hundreds of different accounts, customers have one account — their Default account — that businesses subscribe to for updates whenever they make changes to their information.
This gives customers significantly more convenience, control, and security over their online information: with Default, customers have one password, update their information once, and manage who has access to their information all from one place.
Businesses, on the other hand, no longer have to maintain their own separate version of customer information, suffer the consequences of inaccurate or missing customer data, or deal with the difficulties of complying with customer data regulations — leading to a cleaner, safer, and more private web.
A lot of people have asked me: “how is Default different from Sign in with Google/Facebook?”. I answer all this and more in Part 2: Making Room in the Landscape of Digital Identity.
