Why Obama's National Internet ID Solution is a Really, REALLY Bad Idea

[woo me with science]

Protest this now! This Internet ID is not just being discussed hypothetically anymore. They are going forward with it, quietly, and by the time they have a system in place, it will be too late to protest. See my link at the bottom of this post for an article from yesterday documenting the call for pilot programs to be implemented over several years.

Our government is making this decision FOR us, as though they were our leaders and not our representatives. We must stop this before it is a done deal.




Why Obama's National Internet ID Solution is a Really, REALLY Bad Idea
http://www.techi.com/2011/01/obamas-national-internet-id/
Editorial Jan 10 by JD Rucker

When it comes to the Internet, the US government usually doesn’t have a clue. That seems to be the case with the recent announcement of the Obama Administration’s plans to develop an internet identity system that officials claim will reduce fraud and identity theft while streamlining online transactions.

Cut to the chase: the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) is a bad idea. On the surface having something that will increase online transactions and reduce identity theft makes (some) sense. Security is the #1 reason that people avoid online transactions and in an age that is continuously going more and more digital, it would appear prudent to take steps towards improving security.

This step is not a prudent one. It will lead us down the wrong path for several reasons.


How Do You Spell Disaster? S-I-N-G-L-E-P-O-I-N-T

A skeleton key is “a key or similar object capable of opening any lock regardless of make or type.” In its most basic form, this is what the Obama Administration is proposing. Rather than have different passwords and email validations to access the various places we surf, NSTIC will be a single point of entry for online interactions and transactions that consumers and businesses can use to engage.

This should terrify the tech-savvy crowd.

(more at link)


See yesterday's update:
Federal Government Moving Ahead with Internet ID Plan Feb 2 2012
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002257531

[liberal N proud]

1. Terrify is putting it mildly

[woo me with science]

2. It's going forward, which is very, very concerning.

It is important that people push back now before this is a done deal.

[T S Justly]

3. Thanks for the heads-up. K&R (nt)

[woo me with science]

5. We all need to oppose this. nt

[woo me with science]

4. Kick. nt

[Better Believe It]

6. Thanks for the info.

[woo me with science]

7. They are heading into pilot programs.

I only found out about that by looking at tech. magazines, because it is not in the mainstream papers.

They are moving ahead with this quietly, but if we do not push back now, it will be a done deal.

[woo me with science]

8. Kick. nt

[bluestate10]

9. No one has to use the government's preferred solution to internet security.

People can now and will continue to use various portals for conducting internet commerce and information exchange. The goverment CAN play an important role in protecting people's personal information on the internet, like setting MINIMUM database encryption standards for companies that collect and retain customer or respondent information. As the internet now stands, there are precious few and often confusing standards that rely upon merchandizers and/or information collectors volunteering to use those standards.

[Yo_Mama]

10. That's not true

They are going to force you into this with the liability forgiveness - every bloody bank in the nation will have to use it.

This proposal will not enhance individual security at all, but it will be a huge tool for the Feds. It's basically J. Edgar Hoover's wet dream. You can bet that Google will use it, and require it.

It will make the average user far less secure, but it will be good for the government.

Also I think ISPs will be forced to use some form of it.

It's also a civil liberties nightmare. If the government has this, and anyone with access to this information has it, they could set anyone up. Right now they have to serve subpoenas everywhere.

A total disaster.

[woo me with science]

15. No way that remains true. Read the proposal.

It starts out optional, but if you read the government proposal, you will see that the primary goal is to make this ubiquitous, and quickly. The proposal is centered around the idea of creating rapid, tremendous growth of this thing by building a government and financial structure that will make sure businesses participate (and thus require their customers to, also). In other words, they plan to use money as a cudgel to ensure people are forced in.

Rapid growth is the centerpiece of the proposal. They seek to blanket the country and also go international. They want to create a central government point of entry into every transaction you make on the internet.

And despite what they promise now, this infrastructure they seek to create also will enable a government entry point into everything you DO on the internet.

[Honeycombe8]

11. This is truly a scary idea. Almost as scary as electronic medical records.

If it's on the internet in any way, it can be obtained by hacking.

You know that spot of gonorrhea you got when you were 18? You could put it behindyou, & never make THAT mistake again. But in the age of electronic medical records, it will follow you around for the rest of your life. Your doctors will be reading about it when you're 80.

That abortion you had 30 years ago? It's there on the internet for pro-life wacko hackers to find out about.

And now they also want us to have an internet ID. Just one number for a hacker to get and go wild with. Like your social security number. The key to everything you have and everything you are. One number.

One of the reasons they give is so that we won't have to keep track of all those pesky passwords. I don't have a problem keeping trackof my pesky passwords. Yes, they're pesky. But I don't need a nanny telling me SHE'S going to take that task over.

[woo me with science]

16. We are supposed to welcome this as a solution to data theft.

What utter bullcrap.

You are absolutely right. People use the internet for high-value transactions *already.* And of course this has the potential to make Americans LESS secure. Having a single, government-controlled access point for information on Americans' internet transactions across databases means that a breach would be devastating. That is why people who know tech are already screaming about this.

But even if this system *did* make our financial transactions more secure, that benefit would still need to be considered against the threat to our privacy and liberty.

No, we do NOT need a massive new government system that lays the infrastructure a government would need to supervise, regulate, track, and control our individual access to the internet.

The spin that all of this is for our protection is about as convincing as the ongoing attempts to justify the tracking of Americans' internet use by citing concerns about "child porn." (http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002197126). It reeks.

We are already fighting SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, militarization of police departments, and identification of those who protest and those who seek anonymity on the internet as potential terrorists. Now this. They are quietly starting pilot programs, as though the people they are supposed to represent have nothing to say about this. We need to oppose this now, or it will soon be too late.

_________________________

Get the money out of our government. Occupy now, because they are putting structures in place to prevent occupation later.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

12. K&R

[Autumn]

13. This is just stupid

Fuck this shit.

[applegrove]

14. I think it is a good idea.

[PhoenixAbove]

17. K&R

SOPA, PIPA... the hits just keep coming. I think they're trying to tire us out so they can slip something in. This is the first I've heard of this and I'm usually up on this stuff. Thanks for the heads up.

[woo me with science]

18. Yup, it is a concerted effort at this point.

Occupy and the Arab spring have really shaken the one percent.

_______________

Occupy now, because they are putting structures in place to prevent us from occupying later.

[woo me with science]

19. Kick. nt

[woo me with science]

20. Kick. nt