Passport for Microsoft world simply a trap

Another says, "Microsoft wants to own your identity and rent it back to you for a few bucks per month."

Meanwhile Gates's plans for the technology were summed up at a recent press conference. "It's our goal," he said, "to have virtually everybody who uses the Internet to have one of these passport connections."

John Naughton is a columnist for The Observer in London. The opinions expressed are his own.