Particularly with Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) involved: The Redmond, Wash. monopolist made a big early move to try to impose a standard for digital ID, offering a crude version of its Passport service in 1999. (Novell had the digital identity idea even earlier but couldn't find customers).

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In 2010 I contacted the United Nations trying to get documentation, such as a type of passport for stateless people, and I was referred to World Service Authority, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.

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But an official with the federal migration service in Dagestan said Monday that Tsarnaev had applied for a new passport in July, but never picked it up, the Interfax news agency reported.

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When he returns to Turkey, he will do so on a diplomatic passport issued by a member of the National Intelligence Organisation, the Turkish secret service.

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Other services that can't be reached include Windowsupdate.com, which contains updates for the Windows operating system, Passport.com, Microsoft's online identification service, and bCentral.com, a portal for small and medium sized businesses.

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Besides, why apply for a Latvian passport when Russia charges hefty visa fees to Latvian citizens, and young men have to do military service?

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She said a board would be formed to oversee all the organisations in the immigration system - immigration policy, the Passport Service, Border Force and the two new entities.

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