Related link: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7491959.html?tag=mn_hd
“Absolute anonymity breeds absolute irresponsibility… We need a thumbprint Java card in the hand of everybody in the country,” says Scott McNealy, chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems, Inc. It’s very much possible given the already existing Java Card API and the Open Card Framework (OCF), both in the JCP. While Sun may be following the market leaders in Web services, they’re ahead of the market in embedded card and card reader software development at this point, that could facilitate a national ID system. Currently, they have strong R&D partnerships with government agencies throughout Europe as well as other foreign countries in this regard.
Do you agree with Scott McNealy on this issue? Share with us.
No, no, absolutely no!
I oppose a national ID card with every fiber of my being!! If Mr. McNealy believes that anonymity is the problem, that's what home, family, local community, houses of worship, and other social networks are supposed to eliminate. Mr. McNealy needs to step away from his computer monitor for awhile and realize that no group of people can be trusted with such a responsibility. Think of the potential for misuse!
If such a system were implemented, what would be the penalty for failing to carry my ID card? Will we have "ID police"? Think of the implications, folks. By the way, we already have a national ID - it's called the Social Security number.
Java-based National ID System - NO!
What are you crazy?
Actually I think we should also go one step further and have an ID number tattoo on our forearms with each persons personal information kept in a national database. Such things as medical history, religious affiliations, race, sexual preference... any additional information should be stored in the database. That way the government can easily identify, locate and arrest (or otherwise deal with) the current fad “out group.”
Or better yet, We could implant a sub-dermal micro ID chip.
national id
if we use a national id the terrorists have won a battle as they have taken away a cherished aspect of American life that many soldiers have died to protect: FREEDOM OF PRIVACY