Fergie's Tech Blog

Government Identification and Control

Jim Harper writes on The Technology Liberation Front:

Here’s a sign of where we’re headed with uniform government identification systems and social control.

No, it’s not some futurist’s musings about the coming dystopia. It’s S. 1788, a bill introduced in Congress Friday to revoke people’s passports it they’re more than $2,500 in arrears on their child support payments. Bill text isn’t available yet, but what due process is given before the government revokes a person’s ability to travel internationally? Do we want to discuss whether this is an appropriate penalty for being in debt?

What other good purposes might de-identifying people promote? Simson Garfinkel wrote a good article on this back in 1994. In a Wired article called "Nobody Fucks with the DMV"...

More here.

Note: I find this entire line of reason credible -- meaning that "official documents" and "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are being more and more linked together by the U.S. Government -- and no, I'm no conspiracy theorist.

And, no -- I'm also not advocating deadbeat Dads or any other sort of minor criminal activity.

But think about it. - ferg

posted by Fergie @ 7/15/2007 10:21:00 PM