Bringing Real Digital Identity to the World Stage

Hi everyone — Eric here, just back from an incredible week at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. For those who haven’t been following, the World Expo is a once-every-five-years global event — this time hosted in the vibrant Kansai region — and it’s expected to draw over 25 million visitors between April 13 and October 13, 2025.

I had the honor of being invited by The Mu team to speak at the Global Ethereum Movement (G.E.M.), which took place inside the TEAM EXPO Pavilion, one of the most future-forward and creatively designed exhibits at the Expo.

As someone who’s been involved in blockchain since 2013, it was deeply meaningful to share what we’ve been building at Self, and how it fits into the broader vision of a more trusted and human internet.

🔐 What is Self?

Self is a new layer for the internet — one that ensures users are real people, without sacrificing privacy.

In a time where bots, spam, fraud, and fake accounts dominate the web, Self provides builders with a way to verify:

👤 That a user is a real, unique human

🌍 What country they’re from

🎂 If they are over 18 or 21, depending on context

🚫 That they are not part of OFAC or other sanction lists

🥁 What makes Self different?

We don’t store identity data on-chain. Users prove facts about themselves cryptographically — and developers get the assurances they need to build safe, user-centric apps.

🚀 Why This Matters

But with verifiable humanity, we flip that script:

Now, developers can focus on building for real people — and unlock entirely new use cases in DeFi, gaming, social apps, and beyond.

Speaking at Expo 2025 made it crystal clear:
Digital trust isn't a niche issue. It’s a global need — one that affects governance, commerce, education, and cross-border collaboration.

Self was built to meet that moment.

🌐 The Future is Verifiable, Human, and Private

It was inspiring to stand alongside other Web3 pioneers and speak to a global audience about what’s next. The world is more ready than ever for proof of personhood that respects privacy — not just for crypto, but for the internet as a whole.

Massive thanks to the Mu team for hosting such a visionary space, and to everyone at G.E.M. pushing the boundaries of what Ethereum — and the future — can be.

We’re just getting started.

— Eric Nakagawa
Co-founder, Self