In the quest to advance humanity and improve lives, we’ve created more problems than solutions, repeating historical mistakes. From caveman weapons leading to conflict to digital identity systems exacerbating existing inequalities, the challenges are significant. As our critical infrastructure goes online, the question of how to design inclusive digital identities is paramount. While cryptographic systems and zero-knowledge proofs offer promising features, they remain inaccessible to a large portion of the world population lacking smartphones or internet access. This raises a critical issue: if our identity systems don’t cater to this segment, can we call them truly inclusive?