One-per-person digital ID systems assign a unique identity to each individual and are often promoted as privacy-enhancing, but Vitalik Buterin argues they increase the risk of surveillance and reduce user control.

Quotes that support claims

In a new blog post, Buterin unpacks the rising popularity of the ‘one-per-person identity’ systems, where each user holds a single verifiable ID designed to prove they are human without revealing sensitive personal details.

Buterin argues that such systems risk reducing pseudonymity and enabling coercion, especially under authoritarian regimes or flawed biometric verification.