TOKYO (Nikkei)--Participants at the Global Information Summit 2004 emphasized Tuesday the importance of stepping up efforts to protect privacy and win consumer trust, while improving consumer convenience, in promoting digital ID technologies.

During a panel discussion titled, "Vision and Issues of the Digital ID Socie ty," NTT Data Corp. (9613) President Tomokazu Hamaguchi said that more than 80% of those who took part in its smart-tag-related experiment said the technology had improved their convenience.

While expressing optimism for the new technology's future, however, Hamaguchi acknowledged the need to tackle the issues of data security and privacy protection from the angles of technologies, systems and management.

Microsoft Corp. Vice President Susumu Furukawa said that consumers will be able to tap common digital information services, regardless of the type of devices they use, by combining Microsoft's software and digital ID technologies. He added that the U.S. software giant plans to provide smart-tag-related software technologies to a number of companies by teaming up with Toppan Forms Co. (7862).

Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center of the U.S., pointed out the possibility that smart-tag technologies can cause privacy breaches and stressed the need to improve the technology's systems and management.

While agreeing to the importance of data security, Philip Yen, executive vice president of Visa International Asia Pacific, said that user benefits should also be given maximum consideration.