TOKYO (Nikkei)--Panelists discussed the "Digital ID Revolution and the Business Model" on Tuesday, the second day of Global Information Summit 2004, sponsored by The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc.

Glover T. Ferguson, chief scientist of Accenture of the U.S., delivered a speech in which he stressed that ID technology, such as IC tags and fingerprint identification, has already become part of business infrastructure and will change the framework of business.

Only companies that have succeeded in winning the confidence of consumers by sufficiently protecting personal data will be able to survive, he said.

The speech was followed by a panel discussion among Robert B. Carter, executive vice president and chief information officer of FedEx Corp. of the U.S.; Lee Kang-tae, senior executive director and CIO of Samsung Tesco Co. of South Korea; and Junji Nomura, executive senior managing director of Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (6991), in addition to Ferguson.

Nomura presented his company's plan to start up a building/housing business that uses ID technology in about three years.

Carter stated that the spread of IC tags will not simply reduce inventory costs, but will also lead to the creation of revolutionary business models that will offer new convenience to consumers.