The Obama administration is planning on handing over power to the U.S. Commerce department in a new effort to increase security on the Internet. The idea is to create an "identity ecosystem" for the Internet, while the government says this is not a "National ID Card" it does appear to be very similar but restricted only to Internet activities.
According to CBSnews.com, "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; reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities." Surely the top complaint of Internet users right now is that they forgot their passwords and would like the government to fix this problem.
While all the details are not yet set in stone, nor have they been passed into law, it seems like the Obama administration wants tighter control and easier access to track down individuals on the Internet. But CBS does report that "Schmidt stressed today that anonymity and pseudonymity will remain possible on the Internet. 'I don't have to get a credential if I don't want to,' and that there's no chance that 'a centralized database will emerge,' from this movement".
How the Internet will react to such a mandate is still unknown and how it will play into being anonymous online is still up in the air. The only thing for certain is that the government wants to be able to track your online activities with greater ease.
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