This post builds on #21 in particular.
This might be out of line with how some imagine this system working, but my hope is that it's a step toward creating a non-governmental system that can effectively guarantee one unique identity per person, and no more.
Most obvious safeguard: Photos
If the goal is making sure that this passport confers one identity per person, then in the future, I can imagine part of the protocol of issuance should involve a search of passport photos for possible duplicates.
This cannot be done unless the system and its photos are open, just as bitcoin can't be a ledger and avoid "double-spends" unless all the important data is open. A double identity strikes me as a failure analog of bitcoin's double-spend.
Alternative: DNA fingerprinting
Note: My background, although a bit rusty, is in biochemistry.
It's understandable that people would be uncomfortable with their faces in a public database, so perhaps we can eventually find a better solution. I can imagine a future where photos might not be necessary. This could arrive once a simple and cheap genetic fingerprinting can be carried out at one of these events. If we know to a high degree of certainty that each fingerprinting will be unique among the world, then we can carry that out as part of the process, and store that as the record to prevent double identities.
To make it clear, a genetic test does not necessarily give away any relevant health information. Nor does it give more information away (in bits) than it is strictly designed to for purposing of unique identification. So in other words, we can design something that only reveals enough bits of info about your DNA to uniquely identify you in the world, which is a surprisingly infinitesimal amount compared to your whole genome. A set of tests can be designed to cut DNA at random places where a short genetic sequence takes place. Since everyone has different genetic code, the snips happen at different places, and so the fragments are different sizes for different people. Running these DNA fragments through a gel, separates them out by size, and creates a characteristic banding pattern. Use several different DNA-cutting enzymes, that recognize and cut at different short sequences of DNA, and you can get different banding patterns from the same person. Put of few of these "banding patterns" together for each person, and you get a unique fingerprint that when digitized (unlike photos), they won't reveal something as personal as a face.
Phewf. That was a brain dump. Sorry, been thinking about non-governmental ID system for awhile, so this project was perfectly timed :)
This post builds on #21 in particular.
This might be out of line with how some imagine this system working, but my hope is that it's a step toward creating a non-governmental system that can effectively guarantee one unique identity per person, and no more.
Most obvious safeguard: Photos
If the goal is making sure that this passport confers one identity per person, then in the future, I can imagine part of the protocol of issuance should involve a search of passport photos for possible duplicates.
This cannot be done unless the system and its photos are open, just as bitcoin can't be a ledger and avoid "double-spends" unless all the important data is open. A double identity strikes me as a failure analog of bitcoin's double-spend.
Alternative: DNA fingerprinting
Note: My background, although a bit rusty, is in biochemistry.
It's understandable that people would be uncomfortable with their faces in a public database, so perhaps we can eventually find a better solution. I can imagine a future where photos might not be necessary. This could arrive once a simple and cheap genetic fingerprinting can be carried out at one of these events. If we know to a high degree of certainty that each fingerprinting will be unique among the world, then we can carry that out as part of the process, and store that as the record to prevent double identities.
To make it clear, a genetic test does not necessarily give away any relevant health information. Nor does it give more information away (in bits) than it is strictly designed to for purposing of unique identification. So in other words, we can design something that only reveals enough bits of info about your DNA to uniquely identify you in the world, which is a surprisingly infinitesimal amount compared to your whole genome. A set of tests can be designed to cut DNA at random places where a short genetic sequence takes place. Since everyone has different genetic code, the snips happen at different places, and so the fragments are different sizes for different people. Running these DNA fragments through a gel, separates them out by size, and creates a characteristic banding pattern. Use several different DNA-cutting enzymes, that recognize and cut at different short sequences of DNA, and you can get different banding patterns from the same person. Put of few of these "banding patterns" together for each person, and you get a unique fingerprint that when digitized (unlike photos), they won't reveal something as personal as a face.
Phewf. That was a brain dump. Sorry, been thinking about non-governmental ID system for awhile, so this project was perfectly timed :)