Government Technology - October 2007 - (Page 34)

operating system, and a multitude of applications built by software companies to identify and credential people. “There are technologists building interesting key fobs and cards that will sort of cross over between digital identity and the cardbased identity we’re familiar with,” he continued. “Right now, these two different areas are operating on two separate tracks, and they’re not really talking to one another.” Harper predicted three possible outcomes, two of which will generate lots of bad PR: First, government ID systems will dominate and citizens will be forced to carry some type of federally issued or designed ID to function in society, leading to the potential invasion of privacy and erosion of civil liberties. Second, government ID systems could wither on the vine despite significant publicsector investments, potentially wasting tens of millions of dollars. “The one that makes the most sense is for the government and the people developing systems in the private sector to start to work together so private entities accept credentials that meet government standards and governments will accept them — and government entities, just like today, would issue credentials that private entities accept,” Harper said. “An important part of all that is to use credentials that are nonidentifying, when they can be used.” If an applicant is approved, he or she receives a Clear Card in two to four weeks, and can use it to bypass typical airport security procedures at any of at least seven participating airports, including the Orlando Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Verified ID announced it had enrolled 48,000 travelers in the Clear program as of June 5, 2007. Public interest in the program seems strong, given the steady growth of applicants since 2005, but despite interest in what Verified ID calls the “voluntary identity credentialing industry,” the public sector must do its part. The TSA’s Registered Traveler (RT) program is the government’s part of the expedited security screening equation. Created in conjunction with private industry, the RT program is designed to be market-driven. The TSA acts as facilitator by setting program standards, conducting security-threat assessments, performing physical screening of passengers at TSA checkpoints, and providing certain forms of oversight for private-sector program participants. Private-sector firms, like Verified ID, assume responsibility for enrollment, verification and related services. Need to Know Perhaps the Clear Card’s most attractive aspect is what it doesn’t do. The card is a credential that tells TSA staff the cardholder passed the TSA’s security- ID Cards Across the Globe Belgium In 2003, Belgium’s federal government launched its Belgian Personal Identity Card Project. An Electronische Identiteitskaart card (eID) will be issued to every Belgian resident over 12 years old, and the cards function as the ofﬁcial identiﬁcation document of Belgian citizens. Since the beginning of 2007, the Belgian government has issued more than 5 million eID cards. Sweden In late 2005, Sweden initiated an electronic ID card program, though the program isn’t ﬂourishing. According to the eGovernment Unit of the European Commission’s Directorate-General Information Society, the reason for the slow adoption rate is competition from another identiﬁcation initiative called BankID. BankID is a technology infrastructure that supports electronic ID purposes, and can be used by any bank that uses a customer-identiﬁcation process that guarantees the customer’s identity or can provide a BankID-approved Internet security solution. Eight banks in Sweden use BankID. More importantly the National Tax Board and the National Social Insurance Board use BankID. In the Clear Harper cited the Clear program as an example of how such a partnership can work. Clear is the brainchild of journalist and media mogul Steven Brill, who founded a Verified Identity Pass (Verified ID) in 2003. The company started enrolling members in Clear’s pilot at the Orlando, Fla., International Airport in mid-2005. Joining the Clear program requires a visit to the company’s Web site to submit basic biographic information, including name, address, previous addresses and Social Security number. The next phase requires an in-person appointment at a ClearSpace Enrollment Station, found at participating airports, or one of the company’s recently created mobile enrollment stations. At this visit, a person submits a photograph and biometric information — iris images and 10 fingerprints — and presents two pieces of U.S.-government-issued identification from a preapproved list. Verified ID sends the applicant’s enrollment information to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for a security-threat assessment. The TSA simply approves or denies the applicant without divulging assessment details to the company. Portugal In February 2007, the Portuguese government announced a pilot test for an eventual national electronic ID card that will become the ofﬁcial ID for Portuguese citizens. The “Citizen Card” will include several ID numbers, such as civil identiﬁcation, taxpayer, Social Security and health. Portugal is planning a variety of e-government services to be available through the Citizen Card because cardholders can use a secret PIN to identify and authenticate themselves. The card generates a legally binding digital signature for secure declarations and administrative procedures. Hong Kong The Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region ﬁrst started issuing smart ID (HKID) cards in June 2003. Hong Kong residents are required to obtain an HKID card at the age of 11, and residents 15 and over must carry the HKID card with them at all times. The Hong Kong government said issuing the HKID cards helps establish the foundation of the delivery of e-government services. Among other pieces of personally identifying data, the card contains a person’s unique “e-Certiﬁcate,” or e-Cert. The e-Cert can be used for public and commercial purposes, such as secure e-mail communication; e-government services; online entertainment, stock trading and payment; and e-banking services. OCT_07 34 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - October 2007

Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile GT Spectrum Letters How It Works Cerf on the Net Way Back Machine Separation Anxiety Let's Roll Rising to the Challenge Wednesday Afternoon Fever Parking Possibilities Products Signal: Noise

Government Technology - October 2007

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