The missing layer of the Internet
The Internet was built without an identity layer. Every platform had to invent its own. That fragmentation created a $30+ billion identity and access management industry — and it still hasn't solved the problem for end users.
Identity as Platform Infrastructure
Every person online juggles dozens of accounts, each with its own credentials, its own profile, its own rules. The result:
$52 billion
lost to identity fraud annually (Javelin Strategy, 2024)
80%
of data breaches involve stolen or compromised credentials (Verizon DBIR)
100+
online accounts managed by the average person with no unified way to prove who they are
A universal, user-owned identity eliminates this fragmentation. One identity, one set of credentials, verified once and trusted everywhere.
✓Passwordless authentication that's actually seamless
✓Built-in spam and fraud prevention through verified identity
✓Protection against identity theft at the protocol level
✓Privacy by design — users control their own data
Critical in the AI Era
AI is making identity both easier to fake and harder to prove. As AI systems and agents become embedded in daily life, the question "who is this, really?" becomes existential.
✓Deepfake defense — When AI can generate anyone's face and voice, cryptographic identity verification becomes the only reliable proof of personhood
✓Agent authorization — AI agents acting on your behalf need provable delegation chains. "This agent is authorized by this verified person" is an unsolved problem today
✓Identity as the gateway — Instead of managing API keys across dozens of AI services, a single verified identity becomes your universal access credential
✓Post-advertising monetization — As AI intermediates content consumption, display ads collapse. Direct, identity-verified relationships between creators and consumers become the new monetization model
Foundational for Web 3.0
Decentralized systems have a user problem: they authenticate wallets, not people. That limits what you can build. A full-fledged personal identity unlocks what Web 3.0 has been missing.
✓A universal wallet needs a unified identity to be truly useful
✓Decentralized services need identity security at the foundation, not bolted on
✓Active economic participation requires more than an anonymous address — it requires a reputation, a history, a provable self
The Opportunity
The global IAM market is projected to reach $53 billion by 2032 (Fortune Business Insights), growing at 13%+ CAGR. But current solutions serve enterprises, not end users. No one has built the consumer identity layer yet.
YouMe Identity is building that layer.