People would in effect give a different (but definitively verifiable) pseudonym to every organization they do business with and so make dossiers impossible. They could pay for goods in untraceable electronic cash or present digital credentials that serve the function of a banking passbook, driver’s license or voter registration card without revealing their identity. At the same time, organizations would benefit from increased security and lower record-keeping costs.
Predictor: Chaum, David
Prediction, in context:In a 1992 article he wrote for Scientific American, e-cash entrepreneur David Chaum writes: ”In our system, people would in effect give a different (but definitively verifiable) pseudonym to every organization they do business with and so make dossiers impossible. They could pay for goods in untraceable electronic cash or present digital credentials that serve the function of a banking passbook, driver’s license or voter registration card without revealing their identity. At the same time, organizations would benefit from increased security and lower record-keeping costs.”
Biography:David Chaum was the founder of DigiCash in the early 1990s. He was the inventor of cryptographic protocols that allowed him to create a company whose mission was to change the world through the introduction of anonymous digital money technology. (Technology Developer/Administrator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1992
Topic of prediction: Economic structures
Subtopic: E-cash
Name of publication: Scientific American
Title, headline, chapter name: Achieving Electronic Privacy
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://ntrg.cs.tcd.ie/mepeirce/Project/Chaum/sciam.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Canizaro, Lauren