Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World Highlight

Ellison lobbied for a total government information system of digital ID cards linked to a central database, with thumbprint and iris scans. Optional for citizens, mandatory otherwise. He met with Ashcroft and apparently convinced him, because the attorney general nearly pushed it through, thanks to bipartisan support from Ellison’s senator in California, Dianne Feinstein.