At 10:33 AM -0800 10/18/96, Timothy C. May wrote:
Indeed, I believe "identity is just another credential," not necessarily very important. I sometimes exaggerate this point a bit by saying, "Your key is your identity." Carl Ellison made a similar point, yesterday.
(By "identity" I mean the popular notion of unique, biometric, True Name identity. Other forms of identity exist as well, such as usernames (bound to passwords), phone numbers, corporate names, etc.)
Sorry. By inserting the parenthetical clarification of what I meant by "identity," I may have confused things. The "identity" as unique, biometric, True Name form is much different from the "your identity is your key" form. While some deep philosophical issues are no doubt involved, all I mean is that there are different operational definitions. And I have had almost no need to verify the physical identity of anyone I have ever dealt with, which tells me something. (Nor does anyone I know ever ask me for proof that I am Tim May, and not someone else. Occasionally I am asked to flash my California Driver's License, but that's about it. Much more important is that I have certain credentials--tickets to theaters, an admission card to my health club, etc.) Physical identity just ain't what's it's cracked up to be. --Tim May "The government announcement is disastrous," said Jim Bidzos,.."We warned IBM that the National Security Agency would try to twist their technology." [NYT, 1996-10-02] We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1,257,787-1 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."