Certificates/Anonymity/Policy/True Names

[Michael Froomkin]

Tim May says that having govt == root is a step down the slippery slope.
If we say that others can set themselves up as root too, and that
web-of-trust is not prohibited, but that CAs which take part in the
govt-as-root hierarchy get some advantages (liability caps, primarily),
what are the dangers? 

National ID cards is one possibility (key becomes a functional ID).
Others?

A. Michael Froomkin        | +1 (305) 284-4285; +1 (305) 284-6506 (fax)
Associate Professor of Law | mfroomki at umiami.ir.miami.edu
U. Miami School of Law     | 
P.O. Box 248087            | It's hot here.  And humid.
Coral Gables, FL 33124 USA |
See http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/6095/articles/froomkin-metaphor/text.html
and http://www.law.cornell.edu/jol/froomkin.htm