Obama Plans Internet ID "Ecosystem"

President Obama has given the U.S. Commerce Department authority to create a national cybersecurity "ecosystem" that will include a unique Internet ID for Americans. At a forum with Silicon Valley business and academic leaders at Stanford University, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard A. Schmidt announced the broad outline of the plan. And don't worry, this is not some Orwellian conspiracy to put an end Internet anonymity—at least, that's what the Government says. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke explains:

Data breaches, malware, ID theft and spam are just some of the most commonly known invasions of a user’s privacy and security. People are worried about their personal information going out, and parents are worried about unwanted explicit material coming in to their children. And the landscape is getting more complex as dedicated hackers undertake persistent, targeted attacks and develop ever-more sophisticated frauds.
The end game, of course, is to create an Identity Ecosystem where individuals and organizations can complete online transactions with greater confidence. . . putting greater trust in the online identities of each other. . . and greater trust in the infrastructure that the transactions run across. Let’s be clear. We are not talking about a national ID card. 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.

What exactly this "Identity Ecosystem" will look like is still TMD; a forthcoming "National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace" will provide greater details sometime in the next few months. But the stated goal is to ~~enslave Internet users in Obama's Tron-esque cyberspace basketball camps~~ "enable an Identity Ecosystem where Internet users can use strong, interoperable credentials from public and private service providers to authenticate themselves online for various transactions." It looks like it will be optional.

Cnet news reports that the announcement "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. The move also is likely to please privacy and civil-liberties groups that have raised concerns in the past over the dual roles of police and intelligence agencies."

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By John Del Signore in News on January 10, 2011 3:12 PM

Comments [rss]

musimann

Anything the government does in relation to the internet is to monitor and control it. No matter what they say. They are not going to just come out and admit what they are up to. They want a police state where everybody is monitored. That's why they passed the NDAA. They want to stick you in Gitmo or a FEMA camp for as long as they like. The US government is the evil empire now.

PokerFace

PREDICTIONS:

* Over the next few years, they will promote the Internet ID as a "good thing" that will benefit society and reduce "terrorism".
* They will start small ("it's only for credit card processing") and then start spreading like a disease so slowly that the changes to the bill go unnoticed.
* The government branch will be among the first required to carry the card. Then they will slowly fade in the executive branch, the business class, schools and then everyone else.
* They will put pressure on business to update their websites to require Internet ID's.
* European students will fight the bill more than the Americans who will all be brainwashed into wanting their own slavery so bad that they will pay for it. ("MOM, CAN I HAVE $50 FOR AN INTERNET ID?")
* The Internet ID will not be free. Your yearly subscriptions will cover all the governments costs of spamming and mass advertising campaigns as well as maintenance and storage of your personal data.

Just Me

Not cool Obama, not cool.

Please don't come after me.

zincink

The Government cannot even get the DMV to work properly. Every time I have to get a license update I have to bring all forms of ID to prove that is it me. I think they should just not be involved whatsoever in Internet rules. Just stay out of it.. go play with China or somethin'

Ragingsemi

If you have a gmail account they can pretty much monitor anything you do online anyway. Everything you do online can be traced back to you by the government through your isp and ip address already, whenever they want. This sounds like it's only going to be for making transactions online, you will still be able to post your little Gothamist comments as "anonymously" as you can now.

blink667

You've got to love black hitler.

BotanistPrime

Taxation in addition to tracking and monitoring every single thing we do

BotanistPrime

this is largely to lay the groundwork for taxing internet purchases. Why else would the Dept of Commerce be in charge?

Politburo

The IRS is under the Department of the Treasury. Dept of Commerce doesn't give a shit about taxes.

S.D.

The Dept. of Commerce gets these projects all the time. Then they subcontract the project, often to small firms here in NYC.

In the past, a really big project would go to Sun and then Sun Professional Services would sub contract from there.

Matthew Jackson

"Reduce fraud" while also a highly abusable way to reduce our ability to speak openly, deftly and anonymously on the internet. I hope no one of any political persuasion is buying this...