(by Alex Newman, The New American) — A plot by the Obama administration to impose Internet IDs on Americans is now officially being rolled out, with pilot programs for the controversial online “driver’s license” scheme already beginning in both Michigan and Pennsylvania. According to the White House, the virtual “Identity Ecosystem” being funded and pushed by the federal government is supposed to make the Internet more “secure” and “convenient.” Critics across the political spectrum, however, are warning that the Orwellian scheme only makes it more convenient for the feds to spy on people, control the public, and suppress dissent.
Indeed, critics, who have been sounding the alarm bells for years, say the plot — a version of which is already in place under the brutal communist regime ruling mainland China — represents a major danger to privacy, free speech, Internet freedom, and more. Organizations and activists from virtually every point on the political spectrum are gearing up to “vehemently” oppose the plan and its brazen threats to freedom — not to mention the constitutional and practical problems it entails.
Officially known as the “National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace,” or NSTIC for short, outlines of the plan were initiallyfloated by the Obama administration’s “Homeland Security” apparatus in 2010. Faced with an overwhelming and fierce public rejection of the plot at the time, though, it appears to have remained largely on hold over the last several years — until now, that is. Under various executive decrees and programs, the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is partnering with government agencies in Michigan and Pennsylvania to test out the online ID plot. It is already seeking other entities to participate as well, including companies.
Of course, polls show the vast majority of Americans now view the federal government as “out of control” and a threat to their basic liberties — for good reason. As scandals continue to swirl around the administration over unlawful spying, mass-murder via drone, attacks on constitutionally protected rights, targeting of political opponents with the IRS, brazen lies, and more, what critics describe as the “radical” online ID plan is already facing enormous opposition. So, as always, the federal government is seeking to market its latest unconstitutional boondoggle as a safety measure that will supposedly help reduce fraud and increase “convenience.”
The pilot programs will begin by targeting Americans who want some sort of government “service” — welfare, food stamps, permission to do something, and more. In announcing millions in taxpayer-funded federal “grants” to the two states involved in the testing, the NIST said the purpose of the online identity scheme was to “improve access to government services and the delivery of federal assistance programs, and to reduce fraud.” At least initially, Obama’s Internet plot is supposed to be “voluntary,” with development of its “Identity Ecosystem” led by taxpayer-funded “private sector” outfits.
