re: #223 Locker

That’s one of the things on my mind. All that easy stuff packed into one card makes that card a real target for theft and misuse. Personally if there were a biometric card and a system where I couldn’t apply for or pay for anything without a thumb print or retinal scan I’d sign up in a heartbeat.

I don’t really care about the whole “big brother” thing. Big brother so much further up our ass than a simple identity card it seems like bitching about a cracked teacup when the house is falling down.

If we move to a national id system it should replace driver’s license, social security card, military id, etc, etc. They are all just properties of the new card:

Allowed to drive in the US: True
Allowed to buy alcohol in Vermont: True
Allowed to buy medical cannabis in California: False

Of course that also results in a wider national system (which to an extent is in place already). And some aspects of the state licensing would probably/eventually be subsumed into a nationally-controlled program.

The primary issue then becomes how well managed that bureaucracy is, and how well the technology is secured and used on the user-end. Biometrics, secure use, etc. Though I expect that the card would also see a lot of unofficial, informal, insecure use as wider usage creeps through society. (Similar to how SS# has essentially become a national ID number as various organizations have “used” it; e.g. my college ID# was my SS# with a “1” added on the end. :p )