This is just not getting noticed by privacy campaigners because it is so technical. The authorities are ignoring, though not yet actually supressing it. In essence it allows you to have a smartcard or internet identity full of data, but that data remains under your control. You decide which information is revealed to each reading machine or website. Whereas now, if you let them read anything, they can read the lot.

This has been developed at the Massachusetts Institute of technology, and is top-class science.

As just one tiny example of its value for privacy, the same smartcard could prove that the carrier was entitled to all sorts of things encoded onto it, it could act as a ticket giving say 10 repeat prescriptions or accesses to a building, it could prove your age etc etc. All WITHOUT REVEALING YOUR IDENTITY.

If some sort of biometric system was coded in (Iris, fingerprint, voiceprint) you could even prove it was your very own card, still without revealing who you actually are.

THIS IS AN ASTONISHING BREAKTHROUGH OF HUGE SIGNIFICANCE.

If we are to have entitlement cards forced upon us, this technology would allow us to force the government to limit them to exactly what they claim they need them for, and nothing else. No creeping huge surveillance database. Its all on the card. If it says yes - then you are entitled. If no - then not. But still nobody knows who you are or what you've been doing. All the reading machine knows is that an unknown person presented his card, and proved he was entitled.

I CANNOT OVERSTRESS THE IMPORTANCE THAT WE ALL GET BEHIND THIS TECHNOLOGY BEFORE IT IS SUPPRESSED OUT OF SIGHT.

Not only will it defeat the creep of the entitlement card, it will defeat the huge commercial firms who are already building up huge personal database on everyone who surfs the internet with cookies on, and linking them to your name and address the moment you make even one online purchase.

The technology doesn't seem to have a short name. Lets name it.
Brands Privacy Encryption. BPE.

Stefan Brands invented it two years ago.

I only found one link
 http://news.com.com/2010-1069-977908.html?tag=lh
look near the bottom about the work by Brands.

I was so fascinated I bought the book from Amazon. It is an absolute revelation, including his description of the privacy defects of normal smartcards. Really frightening.

His technology not only has huge benefits for us - it makes the card much simpler and cheaper.

If you are want to help demand that the govt uses this for the UK entitlement card, see my previous Indy item at
 http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=50826&group=webcast

If you want to buy the book, go to amazon.co.uk at
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262024918/qid%3D1042991874/202-9273333-6884665
or the amazon.com equivalent. UK cost £20.36.

You will only understand the first couple of chapters, but they will blow your mind.

Full details of the book are:

"Rethinking Public Key Infrastructures and Digital Certificates - Building in Privacy" By Stefan A Brands, Published by the MIT Press 2000 ISBN 0262024918

If someone knows how to get this distributed round Indymedia in the US, could they do so ? It is crucial they get to know about it over there, and start giving Dr Brands some support against possible suppression, and telling him we've noticed and we care.

He's not a privacy campaigner, he's an academic cryptologist, but I detect just a little bit of attitude :-)

I am a post-graduate mathematician, so I know what I am talking about when tell you how valuable and important this is.

Spread the word. Brands privacy encryption. BPE.