This was called an LRA (local registration authority) in the PKI world, where you would delegate authority to verify the identity of users in person to enroll t

This was called an LRA (local registration authority) in the PKI world, where you would delegate authority to verify the identity of users in person to enroll them. Doctors in Canada have had to do this for their network logins. Security clearance processes at different levels of govt work in a similar way, where you have to be physically present to be enrolled into a clearance, and to get a PIV card for login access to many federal systems in the US. There is a general problem of "strong identity proofing for user enrollment" that comes up in security a lot. The invention of Zoom and other common video conference software and services that sound like truly, or whatever you are used widely for this purpose today. However, this is also what "notary public" people do as well. Is it possible that a retail franchise model of notary services that provides LRA services to tech platforms and other companies may be the support model they are looking for? Maybe. Even though I think I would probably switch away from that email service if I had to show up somewhere to reset it, I would also go to an Apple Store to reset an appleid password - which the product manager urge sees as a way to bring people into the stores to buy things as well. Retail stores may even compete to offer other platform reset services (msft, amzn, samsung, etc.) to get people into their shops, and the platforms could convert their account reset problem into a services product with a private platform interface, for which they sell the licenses. A SaaS for public notaries who provide notary services for things like account reactivations, identity assurance for user enrollment, front line service for the credit reporting agencies, and what are essentially appointments for compliance checks of any kind, creates a layer of corruptable low level regional administrators intermediating normal life, and that seems pretty dystopian. That said, everything seems dystopian until you run it, then it's a platform.