In this episode of IdentiTea, we get into the gritty brew of wallet wars - who’s building them, who should own them, and why they’re suddenly the hottest battlefield in digital identity. From Yorkshire tea scandals to African micro-data economies, this is a globe-trotting, regulation-poking, UX-grumbling journey into the future of personhood.
Nick chats with Bryn Robinson-Morgan, a seasoned expert in digital transformation, about the collision of governments and Big Tech, user experience as a form of privilege, and whether wallets will become our new digital selves. They dig into the push-pull between inclusion and infrastructure, public and private control, and the philosophical implications of proving you’re a person in a platform-first world.
Expect witty banter, real insights, and the occasional Black Mirror reference, because when your AI starts doing your identity proofing for you, things get weird…
Timestamps
00:00 – Yorkshire tea, stealth herbalism, and awkward bar payments in NYC
04:35 – Why digital wallets are back: Apple, Google, and 13 years of slow UX evolution
10:20 – Governments vs Big Tech: Who should own your digital identity wallet?
15:00 – eIDAS, the EU mandate, and identity regulation by 2026
18:50 – The cultural divide: Americans fear government, Europeans fear Silicon Valley
23:15 – Digital inclusion, analog workarounds, and when UX is a privilege
29:45 – Innovation out of necessity: Mobile wallets and micro-data economies in Africa
35:40 – Regulatory UX disasters: Cookie consent and the curse of anti-patterns
41:20 – Personhood in a platform era: What happens when AI proves you exist?
46:00 – Final reflections: Interoperability, real partnerships, and inclusive design
Share this post