So I wondered reading the below quote if the MS/HP National Identity System followed the Identity Laws that Kim has authored. The frame of this Techsploits column Hot for Data By Annalee Newitz does not make it sound like it does.
I was particularly squicked to hear about a new product from Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft that is designed to be an integrated identity-tracking suite for repressive government regimes.
It seems that virtual rights surrounding identity and the Kim's Identity Laws surrounding proper use should be universal not just something US Citizens and perhaps Canadians enjoy. It is clear the web is global and thus the nature of the laws of identity for use in digital systems using the web also must be. I am wondering what Kim and others at Microsoft are doing to ensure the emergence of systems that are not going to be used by oppressive regimes.
Called the National Identity System, the product is touted for its ability to create smart ID documents, which can be checked at borders or across entire regions. It also has the fun ability to add biometric data to each identity profile. It's plug-and-play surveillance! Now you don't need to build your own repressive state apparatus, because HP has done it for you. Plus HP and Microsoft promise to set up training centers all over the world to help governments implement the system.
Luckily, it's Windows-based, so my favorite hackers will be exploiting the hell out of it as soon as it gets widely deployed. I can't wait for the underground how-to book to come out—they can call it National Identity System Hacks.
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