Central ID Database Concept Flawed
Ann Shibler JBSMonday, February 4, 2008
The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), a non-profit public policy group dedicated to developing and implementing public policies to preserve "free expression, privacy, open access, and other democratic values" on the Internet, believes the Real ID should be revisited. The group's staff attorney, Sophia Cope wrote, "The security risks of a central ID database are enormous."
The Department of Homeland Security just released final regulations covering implementation of the Real ID Act, which was passed by Congress nearly three years ago. The newly published regulations strongly support expanding the central database for commercial drivers to include all drivers and all state ID card holders — that literally means every adult American.
The "one-stop shop" approach, wherein highly sensitive personal information for millions of Americans would be in a single, centralized database is a bad idea from a practical point of view. The potential exists for abuses to be committed by both government and business. It would also be a target for identity thieves, terrorists, and criminals, making their information stealing a one-stop operation as well. Storing information at different networked locations would be safer, and it would still be possible for state motor vehicle departments to check with other states for information stored in their databases when necessary.
One important issue, according to Cope, is the question of just who would have access to the ID data and for what purpose. Citizens' privacy and security must be protected. She says the Driver's Privacy Protection Act is weak and only "regulates how state motor vehicle departments disclose personal data to government agencies and commercial entities." She admits there is no existing legal framework that would protect personal information being held in a centralized ID system. The Department of Transportation and other federal agencies are already suspected of regularly accessing the privately managed commercial driver’s license database with no oversight.
Cope, an attorney, points out that the Real ID Act does not prohibit the recording of individuals' transactions, nor the skimming of personal data from the card itself, "both of which would facilitate intrusive tracking by the government and unsolicited marketing by commercial entities."
While Cope underscored the potential abuses and loss of civil liberties associated with the DHS plan for centralization, the really frightening aspects of the Real ID Act were not brought to the fore — the federal intrusion into a state's responsibility and the connection between Real ID standards and President Bush's Security and Prosperity Partnership and the coming North American Union merger. The ID standards that DHS wants to implement would be used to facilitate easy migration of all North Americans through a borderless continent, and are the real reason for the centralized system.
Any real solution to the problem wouldn't involve revamping the Real ID Act, but would totally reject it through legislation passed in individual states. So far 17 states have stood up to the fed-gov and passed the necessary legislation rejecting Real ID — another 22 are in the process.
Ann Shibler JBSMonday, February 4, 2008
The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), a non-profit public policy group dedicated to developing and implementing public policies to preserve "free expression, privacy, open access, and other democratic values" on the Internet, believes the Real ID should be revisited. The group's staff attorney, Sophia Cope wrote, "The security risks of a central ID database are enormous."
The Department of Homeland Security just released final regulations covering implementation of the Real ID Act, which was passed by Congress nearly three years ago. The newly published regulations strongly support expanding the central database for commercial drivers to include all drivers and all state ID card holders — that literally means every adult American.
The "one-stop shop" approach, wherein highly sensitive personal information for millions of Americans would be in a single, centralized database is a bad idea from a practical point of view. The potential exists for abuses to be committed by both government and business. It would also be a target for identity thieves, terrorists, and criminals, making their information stealing a one-stop operation as well. Storing information at different networked locations would be safer, and it would still be possible for state motor vehicle departments to check with other states for information stored in their databases when necessary.
One important issue, according to Cope, is the question of just who would have access to the ID data and for what purpose. Citizens' privacy and security must be protected. She says the Driver's Privacy Protection Act is weak and only "regulates how state motor vehicle departments disclose personal data to government agencies and commercial entities." She admits there is no existing legal framework that would protect personal information being held in a centralized ID system. The Department of Transportation and other federal agencies are already suspected of regularly accessing the privately managed commercial driver’s license database with no oversight.
Cope, an attorney, points out that the Real ID Act does not prohibit the recording of individuals' transactions, nor the skimming of personal data from the card itself, "both of which would facilitate intrusive tracking by the government and unsolicited marketing by commercial entities."
While Cope underscored the potential abuses and loss of civil liberties associated with the DHS plan for centralization, the really frightening aspects of the Real ID Act were not brought to the fore — the federal intrusion into a state's responsibility and the connection between Real ID standards and President Bush's Security and Prosperity Partnership and the coming North American Union merger. The ID standards that DHS wants to implement would be used to facilitate easy migration of all North Americans through a borderless continent, and are the real reason for the centralized system.
Any real solution to the problem wouldn't involve revamping the Real ID Act, but would totally reject it through legislation passed in individual states. So far 17 states have stood up to the fed-gov and passed the necessary legislation rejecting Real ID — another 22 are in the process.
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