[ExI] why do we need them?

[Anders Sandberg]

There are also straightforward bureaucratic reasons.

If I want to get a visa or passport, I need to prove who I am. Even if I 
can produce a plethora of documentation and communicate securely online 
with the state agency responsible, they cannot tie that data to me as a 
physical person: it could be a dog on the Internet cleverly claiming to 
be Anders. Going there physically establishes the link between the 
online data and the physical person. If two governments really trust 
each other *and* trust each other's identity management systems, then 
they could of course link systems and do it all electronically. But such 
trust is rare.

There is also the importance of having people who can go and visit other 
people. Classic example is sending representatives when a citizen is 
charged with a crime: I doubt one could establish a properly encrypted 
communication's link if the local government did not want to play fair. 
It is harder to do a man-in-the-middle trick between the accused and the 
diplomat.

A lot of embassy activity is also about promoting the country and 
maintaining networks among expats. They are like small trade shows, with 
quite a lot of parties and meetings.

-- 
Dr Anders Sandberg
Future of Humanity Institute
Oxford Martin School
Oxford University