Well, here it comes: global identity management system by 2010

[The Straight Story]

Countries obligated to share data, U.S. official says

By Chris Strohm, National Journal's Technology Daily

A senior Homeland Security official said Wednesday that countries have an obligation to share information with each other on potentially dangerous travelers. He estimated that a global identity management system could be operational by the end of the decade.

"We have an ethical responsibility to make the vision of a global security envelope possible sooner rather than later," Robert Mocny, acting director of the department's US-VISIT program, said in a speech at an international biometrics and ethics conference. US-VISIT screens foreigners for criminal or terrorist connections using their biographical and biometric data.

Mocny challenged U.S. and foreign officials to move beyond the question of whether governments should be sharing the personal data of travelers. He said governments have an ethical obligation to do so, especially for suspected or identified criminals and terrorists.

He acknowledged, however, that "gray areas" need to be resolved, particularly when it comes to determining who is a terrorist and when a criminal offense in one country is not considered one elsewhere.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=35574&dcn=todaysnews

I say we ditch fingerprints and give em ass-cheek prints :)

[silverweb]

1. Isn't Interpol adequate for this purpose?

:shrug:

[NorCalDem]

2. I recommend reading....

"The Soft Cage: From Slave passes to the War on Terror" by Christian Parenti.

"Everywhere the state acquires more and more control over the humblest members of the community and a more exclusive power of governing each of them in the smalles concerns. The gradual weakening of the individual in relation to society at large may be traced to a thousand things."
-Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835


The basic tenant of the book is that nearly all state-control devices are originally implemented on small, isolated, and "troubled" elements of society such as criminals and/or immigrants and is sold as "protection" for the masses from some unseen evil or danger. Eventually, function-creep leads these control devices to all elements of society. The best example is finger-printing, which began originally for the FBI top 100 criminals, and now everyone is finger-printed/foot-printed for their birth certificate. Leaders will calm the public with crys about how they're protecting us, when instead their dooming us to a life of ever-increasing measures of control.

[The Straight Story]

3. Will take a look - but here is my take off hand

I was researching smart cards back in the day, and I could see this coming a mile away.

They started with removing cash for some troops on a base, soda machines, etc, were all by smart card.

Then, as I predicted(as did many others) - it would grow. Government use in general, then contractors would have to. People who dealt with those contractors would have to as well.

Now 9/11 and an increased focus on security - when we already had enough in place to stop the attacks. But because some bunglers paid no attention we want to enact more security measures instead of looking at the reasons why it failed (incompetent boobs).

I'll feel more safe when I can do what the government is wanting to do to me - listen in on their calls, read their emails, etc and so on.

[NorCalDem]

5. Well said!

I'll use that last line in my argument often, it's a keeper :D

[villager]

4. So he's assuming the rest of the world wants to share info with the U.S.?

Look, the Disney execs -- right, Disney -- are pissed about the bill that requires passports just to take a Carribbean cruise or come over the border from Canada; this cuts into their business.

We'll see the fraying of their coalition continue: the out-and-out fascists (like the "Christians" that support them) vs. the Chamber of Commerce types who suddenly realize profits are threatened...