The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace

White House Blog ^ | June 25, 2010 | Howard A. Schmidt

[cryptical]

Cyberspace has become an indispensible component of everyday life for all Americans.  We have all witnessed how the application and use of this technology has increased exponentially over the years. Cyberspace includes the networks in our homes, businesses, schools, and our Nation’s critical infrastructure.  It is where we exchange information, buy and sell products and services, and enable many other types of transactions across a wide range of sectors. But not all components of this technology have kept up with the pace of growth.  Privacy and security require greater emphasis moving forward; and because of this, the technology that has brought many benefits to our society and has empowered us to do so much -- has also empowered those who are driven to cause harm.  

Today, I am pleased to announce the latest step in moving our Nation forward in securing our cyberspace with the release of the draft National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC).  This first draft of NSTIC was developed in collaboration with key government agencies, business leaders and privacy advocates. What has emerged is a blueprint to reduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities and improve online privacy protections through the use of trusted digital identities. 

The NSTIC, which is in response to one of the near term action items in the President’s Cyberspace Policy Review, calls for the creation of an online environment, or an Identity Ecosystem as we refer to it in the strategy, where individuals and organizations can complete online transactions with confidence, trusting the identities of each other and the identities of the infrastructure that the transaction runs on. For example, no longer should individuals have to remember an ever-expanding and potentially insecure list of usernames and passwords to login into various online services. Through the strategy we seek to enable a future where individuals can voluntarily choose to obtain a secure, interoperable, and privacy-enhancing credential (e.g., a smart identity card, a digital certificate on their cell phone, etc) from a variety of service providers – both public and private – to authenticate themselves online for different types of transactions (e.g., online banking, accessing electronic health records, sending email, etc.). Another key concept in the strategy is that the Identity Ecosystem is user-centric – that means you, as a user, will be able to have more control of the private information you use to authenticate yourself on-line, and generally will not have to reveal more than is necessary to do so.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a key partner in the development of the strategy, has posted the draft NSTIC at www.nstic.ideascale.com. Over the next three weeks (through July 19^th), DHS will be collecting comments from any interested members of the general public on the strategy. I encourage you to go to this website, submit an idea for the strategy, comment on someone else’s idea, or vote on an idea. Your input is valuable to the ultimate success of this document. The NSTIC will be finalized later this fall.

Thank you for your input!

Howard A. Schmidt is the Cybersecurity Coordinator and Special Assistant to the President

[cryptical]

Just what we need, government forcing true identities on the Internet. Nice way to get the elephants trunk under the tent, it'll start off as a voluntary program, at some point it'll be made mandatory for the kids, or to stop terrorists, or drug dealers... Next thing you know some government pencil pusher will be revoking your access for having the wrong attitude, or too many overdue library books.

It's like the National ID card for cyberspace.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

http://ubama.org/countdown_to_election_2010.htm

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“no longer should individuals have to remember an ever-expanding and potentially insecure list of usernames and passwords to login into various online services”

So basically, they way they see it, you log into FR with your government ID.

[Crim]

“you have such big eyes”

“All the better to see you with my dear...”

[dr_lew]

Holy Crap!

[thecabal]

There are plenty of Single Sign On products out there already, but you really need this one from Uncle Sugar, so he can shut down all of your net activity with one command protect you from the nasty, mean ol' criminals on the scaaaaawy Internet.

[Cindy]

ON THE INTERNET:

www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Cyberspace_Policy_Review_final.pdf

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Also known as the “Hugo Chavez” internet bill.

This is the sort of thing it would make sense for real libertarians and freedom-loving Americans to point out to the other side, that liberals really should think long and hard about and then oppose vigorously - I know their reflex will be to jump on board for the reasons 1) it’s from Obama and 2) it eliminates freedoms.

But they should keep in mind. Over at DU. And Kos. And elsewhere.

Republicans will win elections also...

Maybe faster, than they imagine.

[Cindy]

ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/technology/index

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cyberspace/index

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/internet/index

[Cindy]

Previously...

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/thirdway/index

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/innovation/index

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/fcc/index

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/internet/index

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2541070/posts

#

Quote:

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/68003

“FCC Moves to Regulate Internet—Even Though the Law Calls for Internet to be ‘Unfettered by Federal or State Regulation’”
Friday, June 18, 2010
By Matt Cover, Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) –

SNIPPET: “This last approach, presented at the hearing as the “third way,” is the preferred avenue of Genachowski, who unveiled the plan in May.

The “third way” approach would still allow the government the authority to heavily regulate the Internet because it would be classified as a telecom service. However, under this approach, the FCC claims it will exercise “forbearance,” a regulatory doctrine whereby the government promises not use its regulatory authority in most cases.

Commissioner Michael Copps, at the FCC, sought to frame the issue in terms of consumer protection, claiming that “consumers find themselves in quite a box” because government, he claimed, had been “all but shorn” of the authority to regulate Internet service.

Copps said he was “worried” about relying purely on the private sector for Internet-based innovation, saying that the problems of such an approach could be seen in the 2008 financial collapse and the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

“We need to reclaim our authority,” Copps said.”

[Cindy]

Link posted here for archival purposes:

www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/06/25/national-strategy-trusted-identities-cyberspace

[happinesswithoutpeace]

Hug for mam.

All things in time.

[BuffaloJack]

Trust nothing; trust no one.

[autumnraine]

“An individual voluntarily requests a smart identity card from her home state. The individual chooses to use the card to authenticate herself for a variety of online services, including

Credit card purchases,
· Online banking,
· Accessing electronic health care records,
· Securely accessing her personal laptop computer,
· Anonymously posting blog entries, and
· Logging onto Internet email services using a
pseudonym.

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/ns_tic.pdf

So isn’t this handy? “Smart Identity Card” issued by the state... This couldn’t POSSIBLY be used for fake people to vote now could it? I mean there is NO WAY a completely secure government program couldn’t be trusted to handle things like electronic voting, right?

Oh, and for that matter, how do you like that anonymous voting anyway?

By the way, I find it too cumbersome to keep up with cards and such. I mean it’s SOOOOO difficult to remember passwords, log in ids, why not just make the card like they make the credit cards where you just tap it against the machine. No need to even bother with a signature! You know what, I don’t even want to keep up with that, someone may steal the card and do all sorts of bad stuff with it! Better make it implantable or something so as to make it MORE secure...

God help us.