HP, Microsoft unleash National ID tracking system
eWeek | at | by Mike
Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft on Friday rolled out a platform to help governments establish national identity systems.
The HP National Identity System is based on Microsoft's .Net platform. According to a release from the companies, it goes beyond simple secure identification and authentication, giving government ID systems the ability to be used to access e-government services and to conduct secure transactions on behalf of citizens.
It's not surprising that big vendors are rushing to address governments' hunger for beefed-up tracking of citizens and travelers. According to recent figures from Morgan Keegan, as quoted in the companies' statement, the identity management market is now worth about $4.8 billion and is estimated to increase to about $10.7 billion by 2007.