Why the future of the internet depends on owning your data and why today’s systems are already failing

What if your identity didn’t belong to Big Tech… or even the government?

What if it actually belonged to you?

In this episode of The Privacy Podcast, host Ben Schiller talks with Wayne Chang, Founder of Spruce ID, to explore one of the most overlooked problems in tech today: identity.

From logging into websites to accessing healthcare, our digital identities are fragmented, insecure, and often completely out of our control. Chang breaks down how we got here and why the current system, built on emails, passwords, and centralized platforms, is fundamentally broken.

“We want users to control their data flows like a water faucet… under their control.”

From “Sign-In with Ethereum” to government-backed digital credentials, this conversation explores a future where identity is portable, private, and owned by the individual.

Why This Matters

Right now, your identity lives everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

It’s stored in silos across platforms, vulnerable to breaches, and increasingly easy to fake in an era of AI-generated everything.

And the cracks are starting to show.

Chang points to a near-future where identity fraud becomes scalable, cheap, and nearly impossible to detect using today’s systems.

“We’re going to reach a precipice moment where attacks get cheap enough to execute at scale.”

The result? A complete breakdown of trust online.

But there’s another path forward, one built on cryptography, decentralization, and user control.

What We Cover

Why today’s identity systems are a “patchwork” and fundamentally insecure
How AI and deepfakes are exposing major flaws in digital verification
The origin and impact of Sign-In with Ethereum
What digital credentials actually are and why they matter
Why governments, healthcare, and finance are key to fixing identity
The Utah model and a new policy-first approach to digital ID
Why identity should be human-centric, not platform-centric
The role of decentralized protocols in rebuilding trust online
How identity unlocks real-world blockchain use cases

The Bottom Line

The internet made it easy to connect. It did not make it safe to trust.

Wayne Chang is building toward a future where identity is no longer something you hand over, but something you control.

Because in the next phase of the internet, the most important question won’t be what platform you use…

It will be who you are and whether you can prove it.

🔗 About the 👤 Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynebuilds/
Personal Website: https://wycd.net

Company Website (SpruceID): https://www.spruceid.com

X (Twitter): https://x.com/wycdd

Author page (SpruceID blog): https://blog.spruceid.com/author/wayne/

About the Show

The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the intersection of privacy, identity, and emerging technologies. Hosted by Ben Schiller, the show brings together builders, regulators, and thinkers shaping what comes next in a world where data is power.

Executive Producer Michele Musso
Edited by the Musso Media Team

Music: licensed.