Microsoft takes over Belgium

Jebus

Jebus

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Here's an old newsbit of how Belgium was planning to introduce electronic ID cards.

Now, those plans haven't been shelved yet. On the contrary, the digital ID cards will most likely be issued this year or the next.

Now, I don't have anything against digital ID cards an sich (on the contrary, it will make a whole lot of things a lot easier); but what does worry me, is that today the Belgian government announced that Microsoft will be making the software for this endeavor.

Somehow, the thought of an evil corporation making my ID card worries me. It gives them an immense amount of power, let alone the fact that they could use their software to find out everything about me: from criminal and health records to bank statements, my tax forms, ...

People always said Bill Gates had enough money and power to take over a small country, and well - I think he just did.
 
Heh, I knew about the digital ID's, but I didn't know microsoft was trying to take over our country :)

I think we'll hear about some errors in the near future. Remember their faulty police computers?

Luckily for me, my old (non-digital) ID is still valid for some 8 years...


edit: By the way, those digital ID's are already off the shelves, since my brother already received one two weeks ago.
 
It freaks me out, really :/

I'd flee and ask for political asylum in The Netherlands, but I'm afraid of what do to immigrants there...
 
Better they get the bugs worked out on you than me Jebus!

But seriously, I am amenable to the idea of a single ID card (multipass, anyone? :look: ) if it simplifies my life by having everything accessible on one piece of plastic. God knows I hate carrying around all my ID cards for school, driving, auto insurance, health insurance etc.

I wonder if technology is ready for it yet though. Until you could use some sort of quantum encryption on the data and make the card only useful to the owner via biometrics the prospect for misuse and fraud s rampant. Plus strong international protections must be in place to prevent abuse as well.

And I believe 'an sich' translates to 'as such', my Belgish friend?
 
Jebus said:
It freaks me out, really :/

I'd flee and ask for political asylum in The Netherlands, but I'm afraid of what do to immigrants there...
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Immigrants? We don't want no stinking immigrants! Everything bad in Holland right now is not the fault of liberalisation run wild, but of immigrants, y'see
 
Jebus said:
It freaks me out, really :/

I'd flee and ask for political asylum in The Netherlands, but I'm afraid of what do to immigrants there...
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Just adopt the accent and keep a low profile.

Not that it would matter, since most other EU countries will also introduce digital ID's.
 
Jebus, I would be more worried about bugs than some evil Microsoft conspiracy (though the latter shouldn't be entirely dismissed, either...). It's a disturbing thought that you might officially cease to exist due to a software failure. Or that some pseudohacker might steal your identity because Microsoft implemented a security bug.

Yep, I would flee the country if I were you.
 
Murdoch said:
And I believe 'an sich' translates to 'as such', my Belgish friend?
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I dunno. It's a German expression, like überhaupt is.

Phoon said:
Not that it would matter, since most other EU countries will also introduce digital ID's.
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True... Yet perhaps I could flee to a country with more limited technological capabilties, where computers still are a thing of teh future!!!1.... Poland, perhaps?

Ratty said:
It's a disturbing thought that you might officially cease to exist due to a software failure. Or that some pseudohacker might steal your identity because Microsoft implemented a security bug.
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Ah yes. Microsoft and their bugs and security holes... That never even came to mind. Gawd, I'd never see the end of it... Microsoft can't even make a safe internet browser that doesn't crash every fifteen minutes, let alone I'd want them to make software that -most literally- controles my life...

Although 'to cease existing' doesn't sound so bad...
Then maybe I could become a hitman for some shady organisation and kill everyone that gets in my way with impunity!
 
Jebus said:
Although 'to cease existing' doesn't sound so bad...
Then maybe I could become a hitman for some shady organisation and kill everyone that gets in my way with impunity!
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More likely you would get detained by the first cop that comes around and deported to Morocco.
 
Jebus said:
True... Yet perhaps I could flee to a country with more limited technological capabilties, where computers still are a thing of teh future!!!1.... Poland, perhaps?
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That's a splendid idea! You could share the room with Wooz and every weekend we'd go to Kampinos Woods and hunt dinosaurs! Life would be simple and graceful.

And don't worry - we're not going to have electronic ID's in 100 years, because we've got more important things to deal with - like persecuting Communist agents from the 50's! (Well, unless damn Brussels MAKES us introduce them... But that's a different pair of shoes.)
 
Now, those plans haven't been shelved yet. On the contrary, the digital ID cards will most likely be issued this year or the next.

Now, I don't have anything against digital ID cards an sich (on the contrary, it will make a whole lot of things a lot easier);
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Yeah it might work

but what does worry me, is that today the Belgian government announced that Microsoft will be making the software for this endeavor.
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RUN MAN RUN get out of there now!!!!
 
Shh! Don't be sharing our Hi-Tec Secrets with non-tribesmen!
 
OMG it`s even worse than i thought:
"Today Bill Gates visited Belgium to talk about the Electronic ID card introduced last year in Belgium as experiment. Microsoft announced that they will integrate the electronic identification into the Windows Software so they can deliver more security and privacy on the internet. The register has more news."
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Go to the Vault now Jebus :shock:
 
See? This is why it's high time everybody started learning .NET. Maybe you can't do much with it now, but tomorrow that knowledge will allow you to steal people's lives! Muahahaha!
 
John Uskglass said:
So, has Microsoft started giving it's employes those spiffy helmets with the XII on them?
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No, I hear nerdy Deus Ex fans stole the entire batch. I hope you like yours, by the way.
 
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Croatia will be the one nation on earth not affected by the upcoming Age of Illumination.
 
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