Big Brother wants a microscope

Early in January, the current administration announced its plans to create an Internet ID for all Americans. While the details of the plan are expected to be released within the next several months, it is already being touted as the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace.

Within days of the plan being announced, concerns were raised about privacy issues being violated due to the fact that creating a centralized database is an infringement on American rights. Admittedly, I am in agreement with this argument. To be honest, I believe that an Internet ID for all Americans opens Pandora’s Box for unwarranted government intervention, which will eventually lead to new avenues of tax revenue. 

At a recent event sponsored by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke addressed the audience on this subject by saying: “We are not talking about a national ID card. We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy by reducing, and perhaps even eliminating, the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through the creation and use of more trusted digital identities.”

I can’t believe that the average American citizen would buy into this propaganda. First of all, it’s hard to digest that an Internet ID for all Americans is needed to correct the problem of password memorization. I would agree with the concept of keeping the Internet safe when it comes to maintaining privacy. However, as I understand the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace plan, everyone will be required to participate in a program that places sensitive information in one location under the government’s watchful eye. Inevitably, this will mean handing over a great deal of control to the government.

Consider a driver’s license. When it first came into existence, the primary purpose of the driver’s license was to protect the public interest. No examinations were required and, as late as the 1930s and 1940s, many states simply instructed the potential driver to pay a small fee in exchange for a license, which was often sent by mail.

Today, the driver’s license is invaluable and used in a variety of ways. In addition to verifying compliance with state laws concerning the operating of a motor vehicle, the license has become an essential form of identification for individuals, law enforcement authorities, and others requiring validation of identity. Some examples include boarding an airline flight or cashing a check. Photographs were eventually added to the license to aid in the positive identification of an individual. Today, many states issue licenses with magnetic stripes and bar codes, which provide an electronic recording of driver license information if a traffic citation is issued.

I bring up the driver license example, not because I think having a driver’s license is a bad thing, but rather to show how something can snowball. Once the gate is open, anything is possible. I believe if this government Internet ID becomes a reality, it won’t be long before we are charged a mandatory fee to use the Internet, which, of course, will be on a sliding scale depending on the actual usage. Furthermore, it could be used to monitor individual buying and selling activities, which will foster uncharted tax structures for interstate commerce as well as eBay activities.

So, if you think Big Brother is watching now, just wait. When the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace becomes a reality, Big Brother will have us under a microscope.

tgrasson@gie.net