We move constantly between digital systems. We log in. A password, a biometric, a signature. The system confirms who we are. And then, without pause, it lets us act. As if identity were enough. This works. Until it doesn’t. Most digital systems are built on a quiet assumption: once a user is authenticated, they are authorised. Verification becomes a gateway through which action flows automatically. The distinction between being recognised and being permitted collapses into a single step. But ...

We move constantly between digital systems. We log in. A password, a biometric, a signature. The system confirms who we are. And then, without pause, it lets us act. As if identity were enough. This works. Until it doesn’t. Most digital systems are built on a quiet assumption: once a user is authenticated, they are authorised. Verification becomes a gateway through which action flows automatically. The distinction between being recognised and being permitted collapses into a single step. But ...