Online ID for all US Citizens.

PolitiSUCK
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President Obama has signaled that he will give the United States Commerce Department the authority over a proposed national cybersecurity measure that would involve giving each American a unique online identity. Other candidates mentioned previously to head up the new system have included the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security, but the announcement that the Commerce Department will take the job should please groups that have raised concerns over security agencies doing double duty in police and intelligence work. So anyway, what about this unique ID we’ll all be getting? Well, though details are still pretty scant, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, speaking at an event at the Stanford Institute, stressed that the new system would not be akin to a national ID card, or a government controlled system, but that it would enhance security and reduce the need for people to memorize dozens of passwords online. Sorry, Locke, sounds like a national ID system to us. Anyway, the Obama administration is currently drafting what it’s dubbed the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, which is expected at the Department of Commerce in a few months. We’ll keep you posted if anything terrifying or cool happens.

Well there’s yet another unconstitutional over-extension of the power of the federal government. Good thing the constitution has become nothing more than an cultural idol rather than a set of rules that we all follow.

---------- Post added at 03:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:32 PM ----------

From engadget…

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:tinfoilhat:
That sounds like a recipe for disaster. So if you hacked or phished somebody’s online ID you get access to every single online account they have? eek.

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There are no details about how this would work right now… so I have no idea if it’s a good idea or bad.

But to Fry’s point, the internet is becoming more and more important to our daily lives and therefore some in government are starting to view it as a “public utility” which needs more government oversight and control to “protect us” and to “keep it open to everyone.” See the recent FCC ruling for example.

IMO, the internet is fine the way it is.

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if you could bullet proof it i think it’s a great idea in theory… but in practice it’ll be all fucky.

mind you, facebook may do most of this work for us… I’m sure there is an alphanumeric value that is unique to each facebook account as it is… you could start with that system and you’d have 1/3 of the United States already registered :). All you’d have to so it link it to their personal ID or SSN by way of some sort of Freemium fringe benefit… tax break, $50 Dunkin Donuts card or something.