An interesting article that for the most part really hasn't been reported on much.
Here Well, it has begun. Today, I closed my Paypal account. This is just the first step in the slow and admittedly painful process of disconnecting from the Internet. I’ve known it was coming for awhile, but I can’t say that made it easier. Honestly, I love this thing. The greatest joy in my life was the moment, at age six, I realized that because I could read I would never have to stop learning. The invention of the information super highway was beyond my wildest dreams. It’s the largest and most diverse library in the world, and it’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
However, I must go. Like any relationship, it is only healthy as long as the boundaries are clear, strong, and respectful. My technology partner has now violated them beyond repair.
All of this began the day I read about the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), the White House drive toward universal biometric identification for every person using the World Wide Web. I was literally sick when I realized the “trusted identities” were not the government departments, public institutions, or big box retailers responsible for managing our records. No, the trusted identities are us… but only after we are “authenticated”.
If you haven’t heard of NSTIC (nastique!), you are not alone. Most Americans have no idea there is a public-private partnership between government and technology companies whose mission it is to propel us into a brave new world of human-machine integration in every aspect of our lives. The plan, which is well underway and well-funded with our tax dollars, will require you to prove you are you before you can go online. This authentication is to be carried out by a third-party and can only be achieved after you submit a part of your body– a fingerprint, iris, palm, or some other uniquely patterned part– to be stored in some great cloud server. When you wish to go online, then you will present your biometric part to the proper digital authority; if it agrees that you are who you say you are, then you will get access...
Here is the whole article if you would like to read it.
