After the events of 9/11, people immediately began proposing ways to prevent anything similar from happening again. One of the plans was a national ID card program. Groups concerned with privacy immediately cried out against it – but last year, it effectively became reality.
Sneaked into an emergency military funding bill, the 2005 “Real ID” Act1 (signed into law by that champion of freedom, George W. Bush) will require a federally approved ID for residents and workers of the U.S. to do just about anything important: open a bank account, travel on an airplane, use virtually any government service, and so on.
The cards will have all the normal driver’s license information such as name, address, photo, etc. But also required under the new law are electronically stored versions of the cardholder’s birth certificate, Social Security information, and a digital signature. Supporters say these additions would allow greater accessibility of internet services, in addition to the unspoken real reason behind the law: greater ability for the government to track who’s doing what. In keeping with this, the project has been placed under the supervision of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The deadline for complete integration of the new system is May 2008. This means individual states will be re-issuing drivers licenses to meet the new regulations, with grants from DHS to help. Aside from the obvious communistic possibilities, these cards are an identity theft nightmare. The appropriate reader and a stolen card would be the only things required for a ne’er-do-well to effectively masquerade as someone else, to an unimaginable degree.
The law is receiving mixed results among the states. In Wisconsin, Governor Doyle recently signed legislation that would bring the state into compliance with the stipulations of Real ID.2 New Hampshire legislators were very unhappy with the bill, and the state House went so far as to pass a bill declaring the state’s intention to refuse to cooperate3. The bill is currently idling in a Senate committee. If passed, the bill could send waves throughout the nation. However, some state legislatures have already adjourned for the year, or will soon, so real effects may not be seen until next year. By that time, many state legislatures will have gone through elections, so the fate of Real ID is simply unable to be called at this point.
Not having a national ID program could “put the United States behind the rest of the world”, some say.4 If totalitarianism and increased privacy threats is the way of the future, then this American wants no part of it.
1 H.B. 1582, Public Act 109-013
2 http://badgerherald.com/news/2006/03/20/doyle_approves_real.php
3 http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33842&dcn=todaysnews
4 http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=1590231
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