A photograph or scan of a driver's license might seem like a convenient way to prove identity online. But there's a fundamental difference between an image of a credential and a verifiable digital credential, one that has significant implications for security, privacy, and trust.
What's wrong with pictures of IDs?
When you upload a photo of your driver's license, you're sharing a static image that can be easily copied, altered, forwarded, and stored indefinitely. The recipient has no cryptographic way to verify that the image is authentic or unaltered. They must rely on visual inspection, checking whether fonts appear correctly, whether the photo seems genuine, and whether security features are present.
This creates several problems. Sophisticated fraud can produce convincing fake images. The recipient must store your image, creating a data liability and breach risk. You have no control over what happens to that image after you share it. And you're forced to reveal far more information than necessary, your full address, birthdate, and license number are all visible, even if the verifier only needs to confirm your age.
How are verifiable digital credentials different?
A verifiable digital credential is not an image, it's a cryptographically signed data structure. When you present it, the verifier doesn't look at a picture. Instead, they check a digital signature that mathematically proves the credential came from the issuer and hasn't been altered.
This verification happens instantly and automatically. There's no judgment call about whether the document "looks real." Either the signature is valid, or it isn't.
What about privacy?
With an image, you share everything visible on the card. With a verifiable credential, you can use selective disclosure to share only what's needed. Proving you're over 21 doesn't require revealing your address. Confirming your name doesn't mean exposing your license number.
The verifier receives only the specific attributes they request, cryptographically proven to be authentic. They don't need to store a copy of your full ID. This reduces their data liability and your exposure to privacy risks.
What about security?
Images can be altered with photo editing software. Verifiable digital credentials cannot be modified without breaking the digital signature. Device binding ensures that the credential can only be presented from the device to which it was issued. Biometric authentication can require Face ID or Touch ID before presentation.
Unlike barcodes or magnetic strips, which can be copied and reused, verifiable digital credentials ensure that any attempt to modify or spoof a credential will be immediately detectable by the verifying party. The credentials can be verified offline using cryptographic proof, with no need for centralized databases during verification.
The shift from images to verifiable digital credentials is a shift from "this looks real" to "this is mathematically proven to be real", a far stronger foundation for digital trust.
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