Privacy is a hot topic, but hotter still is the thorny issues surrounding how to best protect it. Linda reviewed a chilling book titled World Without Secrets in her 17 April entry in Notes from the Field. This book, and its associated web page, paint a bleak picture of privacy. One of my main sources of information on the topic is Lisa Rein's weblog. I also do a considerable amount of research from other sources because privacy issues are main concerns of my specialities, knowledge management and competitive intelligence.

One solution that is being hotly debated is the concept of a national ID card. The key issues are contained in a Gartner research note titled Establishing a National ID Card: Definition and Debate. However, this issue is international in scope. Smart ID Cards in Europe: Different Views, Uncertain Future gives the perspective from Europe, while we can learn from Hong Kong’s Multiapplication Smart ID Card.

At the state level the Gartner research note titled Can the Smart State Implement a Smart Driver’s License? asks valid questions. Interestingly, another Gartner research note asserts that The Global Economy Already Has IDs.

At some point, though, it will behoove you to understand the underlying technology and the strengths and weaknesses of smartcards. Mike and Linda steered me to Get Smart : The Emergence of Smart Cards in the United States and their Pivotal Role in Internet Commerce as a well written introduction to the business and technical issues, and I join them in highly recommending it if you need to quickly learn about smartcards.