Some enjoyable bluster goin’ on between Mitch, Eric and back to Mitch over digital ID, with actual light emerging: The Genio Protocol, an open identity protocol. As Mitch says, the Protocol page does indeed say the right sorts of things (“digital identity systems need to first uphold the rights of the identity holder”). And while I totally agree with Mitch (and have been saying for a while) that digID has to emerge from the bottom up, I still don’t see why I want to have any broadly-instituted digID system. I see the way in which such systems will enable things I don’t want (DRM and intrusions on my privacy) but not what it brings that I do want. So, I’m not eager to support a better digID instead of a god-awful one when in fact I don’t want any.

Eric is probably already typing his reply: “Dude, the Bog Boys are already imposing digID systems so you’d better fight for the one that serves the interests of individuals.” To which I am already mentally composing my reply: “Ok, but we ought not act as if digID is something we actually want.” To which Eric is probably muttering his response: “Mumble mumble … big cry-baby … mumble … Cluetrain-hag … mumble mumble … RealPolitik…” To which I respond with a subcutaneous karmic rubescence…

Categories: Uncategorized dw