Regarding BMW, BTW.
The top of the line BMW vehicle (745) uses
a network of CPUs for everything from climate
control to engine function to suspension.
Their OS of choice: MS WinCE !
Brings new meaning to the term BSOD !
We all have every right to be a bit paranoid
about identity theft. Considering the Wild-Wild-
West nature of the internet, and every software vendors' use of indemnity clauses, no corporation
seems to want to step up to the plate and accept
some responsibility. The new law enacted in California that requires corporations that have had sensitive data exposed to inform their
customers doesn't go far enough, IMHO.
Perhaps the time has come for a biometrically-
secure national identity card, based upon a
combination of fingerprints, iris scans, dna,
and photogragh, all SHA-encrypted on a tamper-
proof card. The loss of some personal privacy
may be a small price compared to the loss of one's
identity.
One problem with such a scheme is universal
acceptence. But the bigger problem is
enforcement and associated costs. No new law
is much good without uniform enforcement. The
legal penalties for identity theft need to be
sufficient to dissuade the perpetrators ---
personally I think drawing-and-quartering is the
most appropriate penalty, preferably on some new
reality TV program by John Walsh...
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Regarding BMW, BTW. The top of the line BMW vehicle (745) uses a network of CPUs for everything from climate control to engine function to suspension. Their OS of choice: MS WinCE ! Brings new meaning to the term BSOD !
We all have every right to be a bit paranoid about identity theft. Considering the Wild-Wild- West nature of the internet, and every software vendors' use of indemnity clauses, no corporation seems to want to step up to the plate and accept some responsibility. The new law enacted in California that requires corporations that have had sensitive data exposed to inform their customers doesn't go far enough, IMHO. Perhaps the time has come for a biometrically- secure national identity card, based upon a combination of fingerprints, iris scans, dna, and photogragh, all SHA-encrypted on a tamper- proof card. The loss of some personal privacy may be a small price compared to the loss of one's identity. One problem with such a scheme is universal acceptence. But the bigger problem is enforcement and associated costs. No new law is much good without uniform enforcement. The legal penalties for identity theft need to be sufficient to dissuade the perpetrators --- personally I think drawing-and-quartering is the most appropriate penalty, preferably on some new reality TV program by John Walsh ...