Summary: Sovereign is the right word for describing the essential distinction between our inalienable self and the administrative identifiers and attributes others assign to us online. Descartes didn't say "I have a birth certificate, therefore I am." We do not spring into existence because some administrative system provisions an identifer for us. No single administrative regime, or even a collection of them, defines us.
Cogito, Ergo Sum
Cogito, Ergo Sum
Cogito, Ergo Sum
Summary: Sovereign is the right word for describing the essential distinction between our inalienable self and the administrative identifiers and attributes others assign to us online. Descartes didn't say "I have a birth certificate, therefore I am." We do not spring into existence because some administrative system provisions an identifer for us. No single administrative regime, or even a collection of them, defines us.