<nettime> silly name, serious business: Euro ID card research quango

[t byfield <tbyfield@panix.com>]

An item in RISKS about national ID cards in the UK led me to look into an
entity -- part "public-private partnership," part quango, part research
network -- I'd never heard of. It doesn't seem like anyone else has either,
because there's not a hint of contention or criticism when you do a Google
search. None whatsoever, just 100% official business. Welcome to the
"Porvoo Group." Here's what they do, according to their secretariat at the
Finnish Population Rsgister Centre:

     an international cooperative network whose primary goal is
     to promote a trans-national, interoperable electronic
     identity based on PKI technology (Public Key Infrastructure)
     and smart cards and chip ID cards, in order to help ensure
     secure public and private sector e-transactions in Europe.
     The Group also promotes the introduction of interoperable
     certificates and technical specifications, the mutual,
     cross-border acceptance of identification and authentication
     mechanisms, as well as cross-border, online access to
     administrative services.

Judging by their documentation, they should update that description to
include "biometric."

Participants include official delegates from ~30 govts, the EC, the UN,
and (naturally) numerous corporate interests. I've assembled more links 
to documentation of their last 13 meetings, participants, resolutions, 
and more here:

  http://b1ff.org/2008/06/16/75/there-is-no-cbl-version-376-the-porvoo-group/

Kudos to Stuart Hill for the initial footwork about back-door efforts
to introduce an ID card in the UK:

  http://www.idcardsexposed.com/

The Porvoo Group wants to introduce biometric ID cards to the rest of 
Europe -- and since a card like that never makes sense on just one side
of a border, beyond as well. Check it out.

Cheers,
T


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