The man in charge of making the Web safer
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Herb Weisbaum, ("Consumer Man") interviewed Howard Schmidt (the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator) on msnbnc.com about the Trusted Identities Initiative and how it might work.
Schmidt told Consumer Man that the private sector will be responsible for providng ways people can identify themselves online. The goal is to make sure people's privacy is enhanced as well as helping the success of businesses. Schmidt make sure he is clear that this is not an identity card of any kind. A third party verifier will check your identity (not the government) to make sure you are a "trusted identity" to work with.
Overall, Schmidt reports that businesses are supportive of the idea. He emphasizes that people will have a choice of how to be identified as well. Whether it's a smartphone, smart card, fob, etc., individuals will have a choice and will not have to identify themselves for online activity. Whether or not the Trusted Identities Initiative is adopted or not, the idea itself raises important questions about privacy, internet censoring/freedoms and security. Will the initiative make internet users more secure or not?