Issue no. 412 - 28 November 2010

• Report: The State of the Electronic Identity Market (JRC)
  The State of the Electronic Identity Market: technologies, stakeholders, infrastructure, services and policies. Drafted collaboratively by European Commission JRC IPTS and Consult Hyperion. The report - explores the market and the economics of electronic identity, the changing infrastructural landscape, the structure of eID-enables service provisions, and relevant issues of policy - finds that usability, minimum disclosure and portability, essential features of future systems, are at the margin of the market and cross-country, cross-sector eID systems for business and public service are only in their infancy - provides evidence of the potential of eID for the Single Digital Market. Clear monitoring and analysis of this market is crucial for policy action on identification and authentication, eSignature and interoperability. Comments and enquiries to Wainer.lusoli@ec.europa.eu and/or Ioannis.maghiros@ec.europa.eu. The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies JRC

Issue no. 411 - 3 October 2010

• Google chief thinks internet anonymity won't last (TechRadar)
  Google's CEO Eric Schmidt has admitted that his thinks that internet anonymity won't last, with governments looking to maintain visibility over users' online movements. Speaking at the Techonomy conference in the US, Schmidt said that, in the interests of stopping criminal or anti-social behaviour, governments will demand a more active role: "The only way to manage this is true transparency and no anonymity. In a world of asynchronous threats, it is too dangerous for there not to be some way to identify you. We need a [verified] name service for people. Governments will demand it." He also added that the amount of content users are putting online means people need to be ready for a seismic change in the way their data is used, according to ReadWriteWeb: "If I look at enough of your messaging and your location, and use artificial intelligence we can predict where you are going to go," said Schmidt. "Show us 14 photos of yourself and we can identify who you are. You think you don't have 14 photos of yourself on the internet? You've got Facebook photos!"

Issue no. 410 - 6 August 2010

• Blizzard backs down over gamers using real names (BBC)
  Following a barrage of criticism, World of Warcraft publisher Blizzard has backed down on the need for gamers to use their real names on its forums. The firm's about-face comes three days after saying it would introduce the feature as part of its Real ID product.

Issue no. 314 - 24 June 2004

• US - Policy Proscriptions Offered for Biometric Technologies (CDT)
  A Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and Heritage Foundation paper suggests that while biometrics are not a panacea, they also should not be demonized as unacceptable technology. It is critical that the right type of technology is chosen to meet the purpose and privacy requirements of a specific use. CDT and the Heritage Foundation offer the beginnings of a code of principles for the acceptable use of biometric technology for security purposes.

• US extends biometric passports deadline (Register)
  The US House of Representatives has voted for a year-long extension to the deadline for countries to introduce biometric passports for their citizens. This is a year less than Colin Powell asked for, and many countries (including the UK) will be unable to meet it.

Issue no. 312 - 6 June 2004

• EU - Asylum finger-printing finds over 17,000 multiple claims (EUobserver.com)
  An EU finger-printing database set up last year is helping to identify the thousands of asylum seekers who apply for asylum in several EU countries simultaneously in the hope of being accepted more quickly. Known as Eurodac, the database shows that, since January last year, 17,287 of the almost 247,000 processed asylum seekers have made multiple applications. Almost 25,000 illegal immigrants are also registered on the database.

• NL - Widening role of personal identification number (Digital Media Europe)
  by Joe Figueiredo. Dutch citizens and residents could be issued a national personal identification number by 2006 under which their personal details will be stored centrally and subsequently accessed by all central, provincial and local-government authorities - from hospitals to schools.

• PL - Polish Web Portals Criticize Draft Telecoms Law (Reuters)
  Polish Internet portals warned that a telecoms bill making its way through parliament would require Poles to present identification documents before opening free e-mail accounts. In a letter sent to lawmakers, three portal operators said that, by failing to allow users to sign up electronically, the law went far beyond the requirements of a European Union directive it is meant to implement.

• Simple passwords no longer suffice (CNN)
  To access her bank account online, Marie Jubran opens a Web browser and types in her Swedish national ID number along with a four-digit password. For additional security, she then pulls out a card that has 50 scratch-off codes. Jubran uses the codes, one by one, each time she logs on or performs a transaction. Her bank, Nordea PLC, automatically sends a new card when she's about to run out. As more Web sites demand passwords, scammers are getting more clever about stealing them. Hence the need for such 'passwords-plus' systems.

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