Identity theft continues...

Here is another story in the string of information theft cases which really has me wondering why our government continues to want to move towards centralizing personal data even more.

About a year ago, I read a fascinating story in Wired magazine exploring a concept for the distribution of ID cards which would not involve ANY centralized data storage.

The concept is fairly simple. Each person would report as usual to the DMV to obtain a driver's license in typical fashion. Upon verification by the government agent that the person presenting himself is who he says he is, the ID card is issued on which is contained a plethora of personal data.

Also embedded within the ID card is some sort of coded information which matches the fingerprint and/or iris scan image of the individual to whom the card belongs.

When a person needs to prove his identity, he merely presents the card to whichever authority requests it AND he unlocks the card's data by providing his fingerprint/iris scan.

The important concept is that no data is stored anywhere but on the card itself, but the card cannot be exploited without the corresponding fingerprint.

Once issued, the card would not be editable in anyway as to prevent tampering by hackers or counterfeiters and would presumably contain some encoded technology to authenticate the card as one officially issued by the government.

As with any system, there are potentials for exploits, but this to me seems far simpler than having paper Social Security cards and centralized databases with massive amounts of information stored therein.

In fact, I suspect it is so simple and efficient that our government wouldn't even consider the notion of exploring it further.