Jeff Hellige wrote:
> The US government is considering using MS Passport for a national online
> ID system...more scary stuff...
>
>
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/134438173_passport18.html
>
> Jeff
What's wrong with X.509 over SSL, in those few, isolated instances where
ID is actually relevant or required? All vendors can support this. Most
do already.
Aside from subsidizing MS, all this will do is encourage unnecessary
ID'ing, with the effect of reducing security, esp. given Passport and
Microsoft's established track record. It will generally increase entropy
and opportunities for Kafkaesqe bureaucratic irrelevance standing in the
way of actually getting anything productive accomplished, and even
inflicting actual harm on citizens.
I should note that I am against the anti-trust suit. Three left turns
still make a wrong, there, as well as here. Who set up the path MS took
anyway? A succession of U.S. Congresses requiring the courts to make
judgements based on conflicting, shifting, political and economic
grounds, rather than justice or constitutional principles, among other
things. Duh. MS is just a conventient whipping boy. Like a host of
industrial giants in the '50s and '60s.
jbdigriz
Received on Sun Apr 21 2002 - 12:42:26 BST