"Every Internet service that has a concept of users has to deal with identity."

We have users and customers and we don't care who they are. Customers we care if their money is good.

The idea of validated internet identity for things outside of banking/finance and voting is a complete sham.

These companies screaming for identity know perfectly well they are lying to their customers. What they are really interested in is monitoring people and selling information about their habits to marketers.