Originally published March 27 2007
Real ID Act hopes to microchip Americans' ID cards, privacy advocates oppose
by Christian Evans
By the year 2013, nearly every American will be outfitted with a new digital ID card, according to a recent Bush administration announcement. Opponents of this legislation have been advising states to publicly oppose a system that is insufficient in protecting privacy and strips people of their identity.
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What you need to know - Conventional View
• The Real ID Act is controversial legislation intended to deter terrorism by establishing national standards for state-issued identification cards.
• The Bush administration is expected to sign an $82 billion military spending bill that will, in part, create electronically readable, federally approved ID cards for all Americans.
• The U.S. State Department soon will begin issuing passports with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips embedded in them.
• This announcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers a five-year extension to the deadline for states to issue these ID cards.
• Homeland Security plans to issue RFID devices to foreign visitors who enter the country through Canada or Mexico.
• Homeland Security is considering standardizing a "unique design or color for Real ID licenses" in order to create a uniform national ID card, according to CNET News.
• A national database of digital ID cards is being proposed to include the details of all 240 million drivers' licenses in the U.S.
• Real IDs will include the driver's home address and other personal information printed on the front, and in a two-dimensional bar code on the back.
• States must submit a plan on how they'll comply with the Real ID Act by October 2007, or their residents will not be able to board planes or enter federal buildings starting in May 2008.
• Some state governments have stated their opposition to the Real ID Act, with at least eight states (including Arizona, Georgia, and Vermont) approving anti-Real ID bills by one or both chambers of the legislature.
Resources you need to know
• The Identity Project: http://papersplease.org/wp/
Bottom line
• New digital ID cards are being opposed for failing to protect personal privacy.
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