Bringing it together

Digital ID definitely has it's positives and it's negatives.

The biggest issue that seems to be brought up is obviously about privacy and security. The idea that all of our valuable and important information would be accessible online. It is very easy to steal someone's identity as it is with online shopping an all and the only information being provided is a credit card number, now imagine if all of your information was online, SSN, Driver's license number, everything! It could be crazy, but it could also be one of the most convenient and secure systems that we have ever had, it simply needs to be done correctly.

Although I am not sure if it could ever be executed correctly. Especially considering the level of corrupt our government is at.

Digital id and Digital capital

Digital capital goes hand in hand with my topic of digital idea. They both include the idea that everything we need in order to make any money transactions or to prove identity, this all can be done digitally.

By digital I mean non-material, but there should also be a physical device. All the information would be online, but in order to have more security for your information you would have a device that carries the information. This way if for some reason the device is stolen, it can be wiped clean and your information is safe. The device would also be code protected and if the wrong password was entered enough (assuming it has not been reported stolen yet), the device would wipe itself, the same would happen if someone attempted to crack the code.

We question our safety, but can digital id also increase our safety?

Australia, Britain, and Canada are beginning to set up a "Server in the Sky". This server is a network for sharing biometric information on criminals and terror suspects. The group that would run the server is the International Information Consortium. They say a global biometric clearing house would help nations combat terrorism and rapidly identify victims in major disasters. This kind of digital id would definitely help in a crisis situation because computers act fast and they have less error rates than humans.

Some would argue that this kind of id is also an invasion of privacy. Who wants to have their personal information in a computer some where and who knows who is looking at it, but let us think about where we put other kinds of personal information... What about facebook? People write all sorts of things and complete strangers can have access to that information. Strangers could find us through information on our facebook pages almost as easily as our passport information.

Switzerland now has e-passport

Swiss voters approved a government plan to switch over to electronic passports. These "e-passports" are tied to a national fingerprint registry, they also will contain a microchip that stores personal data, a digital photo, and two fingerprints. At borders or airports, travelers will have fingerprints scanned and photos taken to make sure they match their e-passports. This is a continuing trend in Europe, but what are the consequences? E-passports raise questions about whether this is the safest way to store our valuable information. Is there a major difference between grabbing a wallet out of someone's bag or hacking into a computer system to steal someone's identity?

I do not say this to be a pessimist, but more a realist... No matter what we do there will always be someone trying to bring you down. There will always be battles to be won or lost, it doesn't matter whether they are cyber or material. E-passports are a good idea to certain extent, but I am still not convinced. I like the idea that I don't have to carry anything around, but the world we know as the internet can be used for many more things than simply checking email and blogging. I am not neccessarily worried about what would be happening to my information, but rather I would be worried simply about who was looking at it. I don't like strangers knowing my personal information.