Unexpected for the users, Telegram has recently released a digital identification service.
Let us recall what is Telegram Passport, and what does the Telegram team plan for this service.
Telegram Passport will be able to collect document data: personal ID, driver's license, bank account information etc. Accessing this personal data will only be available to the user because that info will be encrypted with a password, and the messenger itself will not have any backdoors regarding this feature.
Documents are uploaded to the Telegram server and, with the user consent, they are sent to partner services which verify the data in accordance with their standards. ePayments has become the first Telegram partner to accept this service for verification.
So what is it for? It's all about the convenience — once you've uploaded your documents to a secure cloud storage, you will be able to use them everywhere (If Telegram manages to get more companies on this).
Given that Telegram Passport will move away from the anonymity of cryptocurrency payments, this will remove many precautions of regulators who are fighting the cryptocurrency money laundering. We have likely encountered the future leader in the digital identity market