OpenID/SDSN ID’s for the real world

Hash wrote a good summary of efforts underway locally to eliminate the pain and hassle of maintaining your identity online in fifty different locations [sometimes it feels like you’re living fifty different lives]
However, sitting somewhere the other day filling in application forms made me wonder how easily this solution could be applied “offline”.

How about this:

• a chip in your ID book [which is apparently on the way already] linked to…


• an online database that you maintain yourself with all your personal details [with varying levels of authorisation, allowing you to set how much of your information a vendor can see, from just name and telephone number for the local video store, to comprehensive family and medical aid information for a hospital/chemist]
  You can give any vendor all the information that they require by just a swipe and pin number.

No more ridiculously long forms. No more wondering what your work postal address is. Not having to arrive half an hour before your first appointment to make sure you can somehow scribble down all that information, particularly when you feel terrible and just want to get home to bed.

I think this would be great. So guys, once SDSN is done, please make sure this on your to-do list. It would save us all a lot of hassle. Thanks!