POLITICO Tech Do Americans need digital IDs?
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Jul 10, 2025 Vilas Dhar, president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, dives into the crucial relationship between technology and humanity. He discusses how empowering individuals is essential to regain agency over tech, advocating for a national digital ID system as a first step. The conversation highlights the need for embedding human values in design, while addressing privacy concerns and the preferences for decentralized systems over corporate control. Dhar also emphasizes the importance of education in technology to reshape power dynamics and promote accountability.
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Technology Embeds Cultural Values
- Technology embeds cultural values and assumptions about society and power.
- We should design technology starting from human rights, values, and morals.
Humans Under-Equipped for Tech Impact
- People feel powerless as technology decisions seem distant from their influence.
- Society has under-invested in innovating social systems alongside technology.
Advocate for National Digital ID
- Implement federal digital ID to build on existing Real ID infrastructure.
- Digital IDs can improve identity verification and reduce fraud.