Reasons for choosing

In the more than 20 years since the advent of the Internet, it has generally had a very positive impact on people’s lives and has become an indispensable tool. On the other hand, there is also a negative side to this: primarily driven by certain companies, the use of Internet services has created a world where users’ personal characteristics and behaviors are exploited for business purposes in ways beyond their control.

Learning from this history as a cautionary tale, we support the principle that “all information pertaining to an individual should be managed and utilized in accordance with that individual’s wishes.”

We at Liquid place a high priority on “user ownership of data” and firmly oppose the use of data in ways that disregard the user’s best interests.

At Liquid, we’re working to transform society by combining technologies such as computer vision, AI, and IoT. Because we’re right in the thick of it, we can clearly see what image recognition can and cannot yet easily achieve.

A common example is the question of “Who is liable for accidents involving self-driving cars?” Is it the driver, the manufacturer, or a third party involved in the situation? While many of the services we provide are, in principle, designed to promote automation through the use of AI and other technologies, at least for now, we do not entrust the final judgment to the machines themselves. Instead, we take a proactive role in ensuring accuracy—including in exceptional cases—and, as “practitioners in the AI era,” we refuse to settle for merely presenting results that remain theoretical. We are building systems and processes to operate our business “without over-relying on machines” in each specific scenario of social implementation.

On the other hand, from a broader, medium- to long-term perspective, we believe that “technological advancement improves human society.” We believe that the pursuit of technological excellence and the challenge of implementing it in society are what will bring happiness to the world. With this in mind, we aim to realize a better society in a “technology- and service-driven” and “optimistic” manner.

The suite of services we provide serves as the foundation for making various situations safer and more convenient—and for ensuring society runs smoothly—by either “verifying legitimacy or rights” or “detecting potential fraud.” As technology has advanced, these systems have gradually become more automated and action-free over time. Take authentication, for example: it has evolved from passphrases and ancient seals to Internet IDs and passwords, smartphone-based possession verification, and biometric authentication.

If we are to ensure that society as a whole runs smoothly and safely, constantly monitoring and authenticating individuals through systems like My Number or biometric data will go a long way toward guaranteeing both convenience and security—and there are likely countries that are actively pushing this forward. Some people may find such a worldview convenient and reassuring, while others may fear risks such as privacy violations or the abuse of power by those in charge of surveillance, perceiving it as a dystopia.

We believe that as the services and value we provide become increasingly automated, it will be crucial to seek a balance between individual dignity and freedom on one hand, and personal convenience and the safety of society as a whole on the other.

That is precisely why we believe a philosophical stance is more important than the technology itself.

At Liquid, guided by a “humble attitude,” a “multifaceted rather than one-sided perspective,” and an “altruistic rather than self-serving mindset,” we will continue to confront the ever-evolving nature of “justice”—which has no single solution—in our society, and we will persist in questioning and exploring what this critical social infrastructure of authentication should look like.