Even if we say that humans are made of information structures, few people would believe it.
After all, the human body is entirely a physical structure.
However, consider a person introducing themselves.
Is the content of that introduction a description of their physical structure? No.
When people introduce themselves, they convey information structures such as name, address, age, and other personal attributes.
In other words, the essence of a human being is an information structure built upon a physical structure.
Announcing one’s name is actually presenting a highly sophisticated information structure, though people take it for granted and rarely notice.
If we understand information structures, we can design more advanced security systems.
By applying the mechanisms of information structures, it is possible to achieve unprecedented defensive capabilities in security design.
Adding the perspective of information structures to the real world allows us to reconsider and improve security design.
Humans as Information
If humans are composed of information structures, then all interactions can be seen as handling information.
There is no contradiction here.
Communication between humans can be understood as the exchange of information.
Mutual understanding is built upon accumulated information.
When a person reads a book and comprehends its content, then acts upon it, this process involves receiving, interpreting, and executing information.
From this perspective, humans can be considered to be made of information.
There Is No Matter Without Information Structures
Furthermore, all matter inherently has information structures.
There is no matter without information.
Even when sunlight reaches us, we first perceive the information of the sun through light before feeling its heat.
Physically, our perception starts with information carried by light, followed by the heat and energy generated by the sun.
By analyzing the received information structures, we can understand the structures contained in the source.
The key point is that information (light) reaches us faster than heat or force.
The Apple Example
Let’s consider an apple.
Suppose you have a single apple and cut it in half.
Which comes first: the physical division or the information structure?
This may seem like wordplay, but in fact, the apple becomes “two” as an information state, determined when the apple’s identity (name) is divided.
Unless the information is divided, it remains a single apple in a divided state.
Information structures allow the two halves to exist conceptually before the physical act of cutting.
Once divided, the apple rarely returns to a single whole.
Moreover, the cut surface contains irreversible information about the division.
Physical Phenomena as Information
When we analyze physical phenomena, the data we collect may appear to be purely physical.
However, the essence of that data is an information structure.
That is, when we quantify physical phenomena, we are accessing the underlying information structure of the physical world.
You might then wonder: are humans able to process the information structures of matter?
In reality, humans only perceive an abstraction of information structures via the senses or measuring instruments.
We do not yet have a protocol to fully read information structures.
Humans can access only part of the information structures inherent in matter.
This is because we have not yet defined matter as inherently possessing information structures.
What Is “Identity”?
So, what exactly is an information structure? Let us analyze it.
Information structures contain what I call identity.
Identity determines ownership of an information structure.
Information without ownership cannot exist and is thus particularly important.
An information structure without a label cannot be realized.
Identity, Authority, Authentication
Take a driver’s license as an example to illustrate identity, authority, and authentication:
Identity = Name, birth date, photo — representing the person.
Authority = Permission, e.g., the right to drive a car
Authentication = Presentation to an external entity, e.g., a police officer
Each of these alone has no meaning.
Combined, they form a functional driver’s license.
Although a driver’s license is typically treated as a single object, it is in fact a collection of three information structures.
Identity alone is just a label.
Authority alone cannot act without identity.
Authentication alone is meaningless without the other two.
The driver’s license demonstrates how humans unconsciously embed and utilize information structures in society.
Applying Information Structures to Security
Earlier, I mentioned that information structures can be applied to security.
The principle is simple:
Physically separate identity and authority.
When physically separated, the parts seem unusable.
However, reconnect them momentarily when needed.
Measures like Zero Trust principles ensure security during connection.
Separating identity and authority in this manner is highly effective.
Even quantum computing cannot compromise this structural separation because no central secret exists.
All that remains is to make reconnection convenient for the user.
This is the foundation of a trust architecture.
Properties of Identity
Identity in information structures has properties similar to electrons in physics.
It can change instantaneously but retains the integrity of its structure.
In other words, identity maintains its uniqueness even when dynamically changing.
However, this property cannot be arbitrarily modified.
Unlike electrons, which exist in large numbers, identity is singular for each information structure.
Duplicating it creates multiple conflicting structures, breaking its singularity.
Therefore, there is not one identity per physical structure but one identity per information structure.
This property can be used to create information structures that cannot be copied.
Just as electrons occupy specific orbits, identity must have an authority orbit to manifest as authentication.
Authentication presents this structure to the outside world.
Information is dynamic, but identity retains its essence.
The relationship between identity, authority, and authentication resembles electron, orbital, and measurement in physics.
Identity and authority interact in a way analogous to minimal authentication units.
Physical Carriers
Information structures cannot exist alone except in a black hole.
They require a physical medium — hardware, body, paper, or device — to exist.
Exceptions exist where information structures are carried by light (photons).
Hence, the minimal unit for carrying information may be light.
Conclusion
Information structures are still unrecognized entities, but humans unconsciously use them in all sensory perception and communication.
They are invisible, yet they consistently manifest in our actions and conversations.
It is impossible to prove their nonexistence:
“not found” itself is information — proof that something exists as an information structure.
Information structures are not tangible entities; they are the rules underlying phenomena.
Various fields are beginning to recognize the presence of information structures.
This remains a cutting-edge topic.
While one can debate whether information or matter comes first, what matters is understanding the structures that humans unconsciously employ.
Exploring information structures is fundamental to human evolution.
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