Facebook ID Cards in the Works?

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It used to be that one’s social security ID and number are the de facto universal ID, at least in some countries. But with Facebook planning to trademark the use of “Facebook” in ID cards, do they have a universal ID in the works?

As a social network Facebook has permeated the lives of many Internet users such that their Facebook identities have likewise become their online alter egos. Even for small businesses, one’s Facebook page has become a convenient replacement for a corporate website. But will Facebook also function well as an online business card or a universal ID?

Facebook might be planning something along these lines. The company was reported to have filed a trademark for the use of “FACEBOOK” in business cards and non-magnetically encoded identity cards. The trademark will also apply to:

• Printing services; and,
• Facilitating social and business networking through the provision of data for use on business and identity cards.

At first glance, the trademark application indicates that Facebook might just want to protect the use of the “Facebook” brand in business cards. However, the actual trademark application intends to cover more. In particular, the use of the name in conjunction with exchange of data in business and ID cards might be the important things to consider here. If, say, you had an ID card with a QR code, RFID or NFC technology that contains your Facebook profile or ID, that card has potentially a wide array of uses.

It can, for instance, be used as an offline equivalent of OpenID, in which your Facebook ID can be swiped to pay for items, access an event venue, or used to exchange contact information with another person. In short, it can potentially be used as a universal ID, much like how many websites are letting users login through their Facebook accounts.

Does this kind of technology have a future? Is it practical to use a single card that contains one’s profile and identity, or will it be too much of a privacy concern?