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British Telecom Pushes Universal ID Check System

miladus writes "URU (You Are You) is a new ID verification scheme from BT designed to allow government and businesses to confirm identities on the net. The BBC has a full report on how, according to BT officials, 'URU will be a major ingredient in transforming and joining up government... and how it will become ubiquitous for citizens, businesses, etc.'. Apparently, URU complies with European privacy laws."

9 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. Ick by Ravenscall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nothing I would want more than a porn site to have my phone number, and therefore access to my name and address.

    Or any kind of site for that matter.

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    You say you want a revolution....
  2. Welcome... by Mourgos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    to the new Big Brother era.
    How long before everyong revolts?

  3. E-mail compromised... by $$$$$exyGal · · Score: 4, Insightful
    It also requires the person to agree to have the check run and will e-mail them every time their ID is requested, offering a further safeguard against identity theft.

    That is a step in the right direction, but does anyone see a problem with that solution? If my identity has been compromised, then maybe my e-mail is also compromised...

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  4. Great. by AftanGustur · · Score: 4, Insightful


    And within a year you will have to use it to authenticate with your ISP's proxy server.. (And no direct connection to the internet).

    The possibilities are endless for abuse ......

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    echo '[q]sa[ln0=aln80~Psnlbx]16isb572CCB9AE9DB03273snlbxq' |dc
  5. ubiquitous government, no thanks by geekoid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    from dictionary.com:
    ubiquitous Audio pronunciation of ubiquitous ( P ) Pronunciation Key (y-bkw-ts)
    adj.

    Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent: "plodded through the shadows fruitlessly like an ubiquitous spook" (Joseph Heller).

    Is this something you really want your government to be?
    I want to know where the people in the governmant are at all times.

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  6. whois 666 by JThaddeus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16-17, KJV

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    "Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love." --William Shakespeare ('Love's Labors Lost')
  7. Re:Notification by mpe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The only thing that would make this scheme different that current identification methods is the automatic notification (by email) any time the URU identity is used:

    Not quite the idea is to have the same ID used for unconnected things. Which is a generally bad idea.

    I suspect that someone's URU ID could be misused by someone else as easily as any other ID, but at least you would find out about such misuse before the cops/creditors come pounding on your door.

    Unless they are able to also compromise the contact details. e.g. using the ID to get at your email.

  8. Re:Why is it "reactionary bible-thumping?" by kafka93 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Christians have had any number of prophecies which can be interpreted in any number of ways. Perhaps that justifies the application of any one of those prophecies to any subject that might be discussed on /., but it strikes me as a rather absurd approach.

    Incidentally, I'm using "reactionary" in the sense of "being conservative" -- such references to the Bible, a book which though beautifully written is nonetheless a difficult source for either moral or intellectual discussion, smack of hysteria. Having a "very real concern" doesn't really mean anything -- I might be worried that aliens are employing these ids to catalogue us all and thus find appropriate mates for their martian daughters, but it doesn't make it my views any better considered.

    I've nothing against biblical references, so long as there's any kind of real point or basis to them. But to start implying that the End is Nigh on the basis of nothing more than a silly government plan is, frankly, ridiculous.

  9. No ID system is the safest. by cybercuzco · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The problem with ID systems are that the more "uncrackable" they are, the more they are trusted. The more they are trusted, the harder it is to make things right when people circumvent those ID systems. Look at DNA evidence. Im sure that some day, some murderer is going to figure out how to plant somone elses DNA on a crime scene, thus implicating the other person. DNA= Guilt in the eyes of todays courts. The safest ID system is a minmally secure one. That way, people are naturally suspicious of an ID even if it appears to be genuine. Mistrust of ID's prevents abuse more than a so called "bulletproof" ID

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