Re: Pseudonymous ID cards?

[tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)]

> I've seen articles about that here and/or sci.crypt and places like that.
> If you think in terms of cryptographic authentication of smaller pieces of
> information instead of a card that can reveal all about someone, it isn't

This is mostly David Chaum's work on "blinded credentials." His paper
in the Proceedings of the First Computers, Freedom and Privacy
Conference summarizes this stuff well.

Virtually no practical progress has been made. Nor have Cypherpunks
worked on this. (That I know of.)

> would have access to it. The bad thing about this is that it still makes it
> easy for the government to require that we all carry around a card that
> tells everything about us and makes access to all that only a matter of
> legal authorization. I don't want a society where my cryptographically
> secured private information is required to be shown at every police
> seatbelt/alcohol/immigrant/drug/pedophilia/sedition checkpoint.
> 
>  -- sidney <sidney@apple.com>

Good points. Personally, I see no need for any credentials at all.
Too young to watch R-rated movies? Not _my_ problem. Too young to
drink? Not _my_ problem.

About the only thing I support is a law regarding dangerous driving
(whether due to senility, alcohol, or stupidity). If an accident is
caused this way, jail the perps right on the spot and, in severe cases
of stupidity, give them a trial within a few days and execute or
imprison them if they're guilty.

Sounds harsh, but if shifts things away from having to carry
meaningless "proofs of permission," in the form of various licenses,
permits, etc., and toward the direction of deterring and punishing.

Ditto for "tax compliance cards," "permitted to see violent movies
cards," and so on. No need. And no need to worry about letting
immigrants in *if* there are no public programs, no subsidized
programs, no handouts (except those individuals and groups want to
have).

Sure, some lazy slobs will starve. Good riddance.

This is why I'm interested in crypto: a technological hammer to smash
the State.

--Tim May


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Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
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