We built Self so there can be real trust online. Trust that the review we see online is real, trust in the person we bought from in an auction, trust the invoice should be paid, trust the user is a human, trust in the news and trust in the integrity of a vote.
Where there is online trust we can build relationships that match those we value in the real world. And the things we do everyday will become easier: we can glide through airports, shop without tills, consume without barriers and do it all safe from fraud.
But Self is also about people. People taking ownership of and responsibility for their own data and in doing so gaining a voice and control. It's a vision in which we are each an individual, without the labels of nationality, gender, faith or race unless we choose to reveal them.
Self is technology which makes us equal, powerful and safe.