Last night I watched Larry Ellison (CEO of Oracle) on TV. He is a big advocate of a national photo ID system as a means to combat terrorism. Everyone would have a USA ID. What scares me is that he wants to base it on the "successful" system now in place that monitors a persons credit (the CRA's). He spent some time talking about the great system now in place with Experion, Equifax, and TU. All we need to do is add a national ID to their database and all our problems are soved. He must have never dealt with the CRA's.
Based on your description - THAT IS INSANE! We know that CRAs cannot keep track of basic information such as your name and correct address.... can you even imagine...
Someone needs to open that fool's eyes. I wonder how quickly he'd loose his lunch if he pulled his credit reports today.
Of course it is a great idea because he would be the beneficiary. I am sure he is working on the software as we speak.
This flash of brilliance comes from a man who's company stock price usually only goes up when he leaves the office to go sailing for weeks or months at a time. This guy changes his mind more than he changes gold chains(or trades-in current wife for new ones) Get a clue , Larry. VJ
Well, to clairfy that a little, Larry Ellison is not really saying we need a National ID Card. He actually said the last thing we need is 'another' database to add to the mux.... His idea, and he does have a personal interest in it, is to combine all the databases- SS card, State Data, Local Data, etc- into ONE smart database with the purpose of eliminating so many problems. He has brought this up before- for obvious reasons- but really fired it up again soon after the Sept 11 attacks. His premise was that his one 'Smart' database would have been able to single out the terrorists before this happened. The credit cards, the terrorist names, the criminal records/watches, etc, would have all been linked together. He is pointing out the fact that we 'knew' these guys were suspicious, we had them on a 'watch' list, but that list was never checked. If a 'smart database' had been available, the warnings would have 'popped up' when they bought the tickets. Sounds kinda like a sci-fi movie, huh? It kinda makes sense if you think about it...but it also sounds a little scary. Thats a lot of information available in one spot. He is a bit eccentric at times, and he definately has a HUGE ego, but you have to give him credit for what he has done. He started Oracle in the late 70's and has grown it to one of the largest tech companies in the world. His company is actually one of the few 'niches' that have really given MS trouble over the past few years. I think his stock alone is worth about 55 Billion right now...not to shabby. Why is it all those rich guys seem to loose touch with reality? Shawn
I think I'd rather have my face scanned. I wonder if they would keep this database on microsoft IIS servers?
It's funny to watch the 'buying' antics between these too, especially when it comes to building their houses. I don't think either on will actually declare their houses as 'finished' for fear the other will claim he outdid him. Must be nice..... Shawn
A DB Developer? No wonder you keep such good records! A correction to your post, though..... If it was a Microsoft Database we would have to upgrade all our credit cards to 256 MB Ram and 'reboot' them between purchases!!!!!!!! LOL Shawn
It could be put on IBM mainframe. DB2 or IMS. Unix is a four letter word for us oldtimers. www,creditsense.com
Hahahaha!! I don't know anything about databases, except how to use one. That was a joke, since the Microsoft servers are so easily hacked. Reference was made to having the ID's in order to thwart terrorists; terrorists would be looking to hack the database and get themselves an ID. I recently had to cancel a CC because the online merchant (a computer store!!!) was using microsoft servers and had not applied the patch that had been out for months. They were hacked and didn't know if information had been stolen or not. That makes 4 cards I've had to replace due to hacking microsoft servers. I am going to start using AmEx's one-time number thingy.
Good point, Breeze. The terrorists could use the database to steal our identities, or even to target us. I wonder if Ellison has terroristic aspirations of his own?
Whoever would be in charge of that database could control the country. Perhaps he wants to start a Taliban, or be the Ayatollah, LOL.
Capital One is about to offer the "Taliban VISA" for those very sub-prime applicants. Available only to men, this card enjoys a generous $5 line of credit. More details to follow.
And if you are late, they come and cut your (non-wiping) hand off. The only benefit is that it comes with free camel collision protection.
Don't we already have a National ID Card? Social Security card? I mean, it says right on it, not to be used for ID, but everywhere I go, I am identified by my SSN. School, Credit, etc.
The Social Security card was never supposed to be used for indentification of individuals in the public sector. However, it has not been safeguarded as promised. This is why I will never support any type of National ID movements. Everyone has good intention in the beginning, others always seem to take advantage of it in a way that is profitable for them.