For citizens who want efficient, effective access to services that require identity. The need for identity isn’t going away, and a poor implementation doesn’t guard against overreach.
The implementation is not that different from the "log in with Google/Facebook/Twitter/MySpace/Apple" buttons on many websites, though the login procedure is a bit more involved because of the sensitivity of the data.
There are some citizens who want this. Not all.
> a poor implementation doesn’t guard against overreach.
A good implementation enables overreach as in, "Please confiscate everything belonging to John Q. Public." An effective identity enables government overreach.
This cure is worse than the disease.
My identity is just fine, but thanks for your concern :)
I can walk into my local bank branch and ask to either pay in or withdraw money and they don't ask for any kind of ID(!), or my account number, becuase they actually know me :) They even tend to say "Hello $firstname" when I walk in, even if I only called in to use the ATM.
Amazing how good ol'fashioned _offline_ identity can actually be secure.
Try walking into my local branch with faked ID of me and attempting to withdraw funds from my account.
Personal trust as a foundation for identity became an untenable option as soon as the modern age arrived and our world expanded beyond our immediate geographic area.
Eventually every system boils down to personal trust, from the doctor that certifies you were born, to the person looking at the computer screen in a licensing office who is deciding if she is going to issue the license. There is no escaping this.
Suppose I have my personal QWAC installed in my browser. Does this mean that I won't be able to visit $BIGSITE without authenticating and logging-in?
That wouldn't make things more efficient - it would create friction, because I'd have to switch browsers if I wanted to visit a site that I didn't want to authenticate to; or do some settings fandango to disable QWAC before clicking a link.