The push for a 21st centruy government hits a wall with knowing just who is at the other end of the connection. It is hard if not impossible to file for many government benefits or services at state, local and federal level because of the inability to clearly identify who the parties to the transaction are. A shift to secure online government services at a certain level requires some ways to address the citizen authentication issue in order to protect their privacy and avoid fraud. Can we do this while avoiding "big brother"?