We Need A National Password System
Thursday, October 25, 2007 Filed in: Ideas
I have too many passwords and login ID's for my
computer. We need a national password system. One
password per person and it works everywhere you want
it to work.
I'm serious. Ask yourself how many login ID's and passwords you have for your computer? See? That's too many. Whatever the number is beyond one is too many.
Most of us, at least, those of us living here legally, have a federal identification number, commonly referred to as a Social Security Number, so why can't we have a single unifying login ID and password to match? Or, even to replace the tired old SSN?
Look at how much time an effort would be saved if all we had to remember was our personalized login ID, and a single, simple, password. Computer software makers could adopt their applications to connect to a national database to double check the authenticity of the entry before we login to a computer, or web site, or some other super secret place that requires a password.
I have so many applications and web sites that I manage or visit that I have two special applications to manage them all. One to hold every login ID and password, and the other to automatically log me in to wherever I want to go.
Even it requires a password to be able to see my passwords. It's a never-ending viscious circle of numerology and memory games.
For those of us with a numerical learning disability, remembering login IDs and passwords can be a personal nightmare. I don't remember strings of numbers beyond four characters. Five characters? Or, a mix of letters and numbers? Sorry, I can't remember it.
How about telephone numbers? Sure, they're handy, but since I can't remember telephone numbers (most phone numbers are, regretably, longer than four numbers), I don't call people on the phone. Unless it's an emergency. I can remember 4-1-1. And 9-1-1. But I forget which is which-- emergency or information. Or is it the other way around.
Come to think of it, maybe each citizen in the country needs a personalized email address, too. That could be used as our universal login ID. Then, all we would need is the password. Passwords, like passports could be re-issued every so many years.
No one wants the government in our lives any more than they already are, but it would be nice to have a big brother who remembers who I am.
I'm serious. Ask yourself how many login ID's and passwords you have for your computer? See? That's too many. Whatever the number is beyond one is too many.
Most of us, at least, those of us living here legally, have a federal identification number, commonly referred to as a Social Security Number, so why can't we have a single unifying login ID and password to match? Or, even to replace the tired old SSN?
Look at how much time an effort would be saved if all we had to remember was our personalized login ID, and a single, simple, password. Computer software makers could adopt their applications to connect to a national database to double check the authenticity of the entry before we login to a computer, or web site, or some other super secret place that requires a password.
I have so many applications and web sites that I manage or visit that I have two special applications to manage them all. One to hold every login ID and password, and the other to automatically log me in to wherever I want to go.
Even it requires a password to be able to see my passwords. It's a never-ending viscious circle of numerology and memory games.
For those of us with a numerical learning disability, remembering login IDs and passwords can be a personal nightmare. I don't remember strings of numbers beyond four characters. Five characters? Or, a mix of letters and numbers? Sorry, I can't remember it.
How about telephone numbers? Sure, they're handy, but since I can't remember telephone numbers (most phone numbers are, regretably, longer than four numbers), I don't call people on the phone. Unless it's an emergency. I can remember 4-1-1. And 9-1-1. But I forget which is which-- emergency or information. Or is it the other way around.
Come to think of it, maybe each citizen in the country needs a personalized email address, too. That could be used as our universal login ID. Then, all we would need is the password. Passwords, like passports could be re-issued every so many years.
No one wants the government in our lives any more than they already are, but it would be nice to have a big brother who remembers who I am.
