David,
I think you answered another question, how to carry
your citizen-ID.
Due to [censored lines concerning banks, card
manufacturers and software makers] practically everybody have shelved their
smart card-based PKI ID-programs. But PKI is still alive and well although
only in the form of "soft" certificates. In Scandinavia millions
of on-line bank-customers use such.
But the question was really how e-governments are
supposed to work in the absence of naming-systems aligned to on-line
activity. The Swedish system is based on a unique static citizen code
which is used as a universal "key" in authorities' information systems. To
introduce such schemes in countries like the US, seems impossible as peoples'
trust in governments seem relatively limited.
A counter-measure could be that independent
ID-providers like banks, supported naming-schemes like the
following:
- ID-provider (globally unique id)
- Common
Name (of subject)
- Client number (static locally unique id)
Sample
ID: "http://www.mybank.com/gid" :
"CN=Marion Anderson, serialNumber=0766864"
This would work as
globally unique pseudo-citizen-codes but without the political problems
associated with huge central registries held by government
authorities.
In case some parties need other information about the
subject like social security number, registered address etc, the client
(citizen) can using the very same certificate, request their bank (using an
on-line service), to create a signed registry file based on other account
information.
Anders Rundgren
Consultant in PKI and secure
e-business
+46 70 - 627 74 37
----- Original Message -----
From:
David
Sweigert
To: Anders
Rundgren ;
Cc:
Sent: Friday, February 14, 2003
15:26
Subject: Re: [pki-tc] US e-government
ID-challenge
Anders:
I am not sure I understand the
argument.
I worked in Luxembourg for a year attempting to
launch a PKI-based
credit card [see the Providian GetSnart VISA
concept].
It didn't take off because web-access control
systems aren't supporting
user-end use of smart cards. Microsoft
interfaced to smart card readers
with Windows 2000 and how many clients have
implemented smart-
card based authentication in W2K; I bet only a
handful.
My humble thoughts.
David Sweigert, CISSP
----- Original Message -----
From:
Anders Rundgren
To:
Cc:
Sent: Friday, February 14, 2003 4:04
AM
Subject: [pki-tc] US e-government
ID-challenge
Hi,
This is a very silent list but I give it a try
anyway.
Coming from a country (Sweden) that established
a working national identity-scheme some 40
years ago, which was with ease "recasted"
into PKI, I wonder how countries like the US, lacking such systems are going to get e-governments
running.
As far as I know, social security numbers as
used in the US are not sufficient as there
are duplicates and many countries do not have
identity systems at all, that are aligned to on-line
usage.
Anders Rundgren
Consultant PKI and secure
e-business
