McNealy again in the news on his idea to create an identity in a database for everyone. "Scott McNealy, chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems Inc., said Thursday his long-held belief the United States needs a national identity system has gained a lot of traction since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
"This is more than a sea change," McNealy said to reporters at an industry conference in Orlando. "I have not spoken to one person who hasn't flipped a switch to say, 'You're darn right, I want to know who's getting on a plane with me.' "
Sun developed the Java computer platform, which could someday provide the language needed for a smart-card identification system to deal with computers at airports, shopping malls, research facilities and other locations where McNealy said anonymity could prove dangerous.
"Absolute anonymity breeds absolute irresponsibility," he said. "We need a thumbprint Java card in the hand of everybody in the country."
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