Competitive Review (Standards & Frameworks)
This section answers: what exists today that appears similar, and where it fails structurally.
0.8.1 What Exists Today
- Standards bodies and technical frameworks
- Government compliance frameworks
- Vendor-led “industry standards”
- Protocol ecosystems that define their own rules via foundations or core teams
0.8.2 Where Control or Capture Commonly Occurs
- Standards shaped by dominant vendors
- Compliance implemented through surveillance
- Interoperability restricted to preserve lock-in
- Governance concentrated in foundations, boards, or capital control
0.8.3 What Happens When the Provider Disappears
Common outcomes:
- Identity breaks (accounts die)
- Data becomes inaccessible (platform custody)
- Assets lose utility (market-dependent)
- Users lose continuity (no survivability design)
0.8.4 Who Ultimately Owns the System
In many frameworks, practical ownership sits with:
- Vendors
- Governments
- Foundations
- Capital sponsors
Digital World Standards are designed so no single actor can unilaterally redefine the system without breaking compliance with Layer 0.
0.8.5 Why the Digital World Standards Are Structurally Different
- Human-first definitions (not account-first)
- Replaceability as a requirement (not an aspiration)
- Survivability as a requirement (not an afterthought)
- Privacy by structure (not by policy)
- Layer separation that prevents silent re-centralization