It's TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hume. If you've traveled internationally, you know this experience.

Why does immigration and customs seem to take so long when you arrive at a new place? How is the process not simpler?

Entrepreneur Carolie Hendricks has an idea to solve this. In her talk from the Ted Monterey stage in 2021,

she lays out her vision for a universal digital passport

to take us beyond borders.

I grew up in Estonia under Soviet occupation,

in a country locked up behind the thick wall of the iron curtain. Back then,

where everything including bread, socks and underwear was a luxury, I did not dream about the

open world. Because you see, some walls are so thick and borders so closed that even dreams and ideas can travel. However, having

lived in that level of darkness made me wonder, why are borders and movement between countries

constructed the way they are? According to the World Economic Forum, human capital is the driving

force for economic growth.

So why are the barriers to global mobility so high? Why is the process so time-consuming,

so dreadful and taunting, so very scary? And I know it's scary because I was detained

at San Francisco Airport for two hours just to get

on the stage.

It was the idea that the cross-border movement of people shouldn't be so difficult that spark

my inspiration for a future of frictionless, borderless mobility for all, regardless where

they are born.

We are building a universal digital identity for cross-border movement,

one where people own their data and can seamlessly relocate anywhere they want with minimal friction.

One which would eventually allow individuals from highly skilled professionals to refugees seeking

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