Online identity is owned by your email provider (2019)
a day ago
- Email was never designed to serve as a ubiquitous online identity, yet most businesses rely on it for that role.
- People are locked into their email service provider because switching requires updating countless accounts, risking loss of access, and many services do not allow changing registered email addresses.
- Email service providers have extensive control over users' online identity, personal data, and contact network, creating vendor lock-in that benefits tech giants.
- Proposed solutions like mandatory email forwarding services have technical drawbacks including delayed delivery, reduced spam protection, and increased complexity.
- Renting a custom domain for email offers more freedom to switch providers, but does not provide full ownership of identity.
- The only real long-term solution is to move away from email-based identity management toward self-sovereign identity alternatives, which are not yet widely available.