Facebook Moves to Standardize and Own Customer IDs

The need for a central repository for IDs is obvious in theory, but the reality of creating such a monster is quite challenging.  OpenID is a good attempt to give some control to the individual in managing their online identity, but it has many limitations.  The limitations are the creation of a cross-industry, cross-platform, worldwide identity for each individual, the management of such a database and the privacy concerns that are raised with every step in this direction.