Obama Eyeing Internet ID for Americans

[frontpage]

Obama Eyeing Internet ID for Americans

STANFORD, Calif. - President Obama is planning to hand the U.S. Commerce Department authority over a forthcoming cybersecurity effort to create an Internet ID for Americans, a White House official said here today.

It's "the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government" to centralize efforts toward creating an "identity ecosystem" for the Internet, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said.

That news, first reported by CNET, effectively pushes the department to the forefront of the issue, beating out other potential candidates including the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

[cbsnews.com...]

[Propools]

May God forbid.

[dibbern2]

from the charter (TOS) for this Foo forum:

This is NOT a forum for religious, political, or nationalistic discussion, sexually-charged jokes, debates, flames, gender wars, or personal crusades. Posts will be deleted for poking hot-buttons like race, gender, religion and politics, or addressing subjects of dubious legality (leave comments about drugs, software piracy and other illegal exploits at the door).

FOO is NOT the place to air who-is-doing-what-to-whom. WebmasterWorld doesn't have a dog in that type of fight, and such posts aren't in the spirit of Webmasterworld.

[Lapizuli]

I see this move as an inevitable stage in the taming of the Internet Wild West in preparation for the influx...the flood of regular ol' people worldwide moving their consumer, social, and work spheres online.

In the world of the Internet, first came the pioneers, then the first settlers, then many of the original sites whithered to ghost towns, and now new settlements are being built and the greenhorns are arriving. There's going to be a big, big boom worldwide.

The Wild West didn't stay wild for a reason - because the population as a whole was going through a major migration. The same thing is happening here.

As long as folks can still hide behind the "we don't ask for real names here, pardner" etiquette online, then people are only vested in a limited way in their own accountability. Accountability is a huge prerequisite to safety and trust. The larger the culture, the more necessary are trust signals, especially in a non-class-based society.

So some form of standard ID system is inevitable, because it creates accountability.

[lawman]

Read dibbern2's post and keep this on topic.

[ken_b]

Lapizuli;

I see this move as an inevitable stage in the taming of the Internet Wild West in preparation for the influx...the flood of regular ol' people worldwide moving their consumer, social, and work spheres online. .....

... So some form of standard ID system is inevitable, because it creates accountability.

All very well said!

[wildbest]

So some form of standard ID system is inevitable, because it creates accountability.

An electronic monitoring bracelet for everyone would be even better. And more efficient from accountability point of view.

[weeks]

An electronic monitoring bracelet for everyone would be even better. And more efficient from accountability point of view.

Haven't we've got it already, close enough, with cellphones?

As long as folks can still hide behind the "we don't ask for real names here, pardner" etiquette online, then people are only vested in a limited way in their own accountability.

Oh, really? You don't think people act in a thoughtful way in, say, newspaper comments on local websites?

[weeks]

From the article on the link above:

"We are not talking about a national ID card," Locke said at the Stanford event. "We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy and reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities."...

...Schmidt stressed today that anonymity and pseudonymity will remain possible on the Internet. "I don't have to get a credential if I don't want to," he said. There's no chance that "a centralized database will emerge," and "we need the private sector to lead the implementation of this," he said.

So, it going to be closer to the National Bureau of Standards or perhaps the Federal Communications Commission is setting standards and guidelines.

[tangor]

Reminding all that FOO is also for...

Overview:
Foo is for internet and tech topics not covered by any other forum.

Posting Topics:
Topics related to computers and internet. A virtual back-corner cafe table for general net shop talk with fellow members

And is the perfect place to test out some web based interests before insert in more mainstream topics.

From a FOO point of view the query is, from an INTERNET point of view, making such an ID work. And why? And who verifies? To what purpose?

And, (face rosy with embarrassment) I will no longer be posting "Tangor's Sunday Funnies" as this appears by charter to be a more serious watercooler and (even more rosy faced!) I didn't read the charter first! My apologies to all!

And Lawman, you got to knock off all that Shelby Mustang talk. There's no Internet in that! And National Parks and (as already stated in the charter) no more weather updates.

This ID on the INTERNET IS INTERNET BIZ we all need to know about, and is political, and should be scaring the begollies out of all of us. FOO is frontline for WW... needs to be moderated of course because we all need only so many recipes for garlic-chive mashed potatoes... but some things are heads up and need a forum. I'd like to think this is one...

[tangor]

And we need to know what the kiddies are doing (in Shelbys for instance) and a bit of humor, too. FOO can't be a Wild West, but it Shirley Can't be Noo York City!.

[James2]

maybe, maybe not but don't call me shirley!

[minnapple]

a internet id? that could [will] create a new op for those experienced in identity theft