Many people think that the "War on Terrorism" can be won with simple tools, like a National ID Card.  If we all have to carry our identification "papers" wherever we go, the war will have been won — by our enemies!  The articles in these pages should convince you of this.

At first glance, it might seem contradictory to say that Voter ID laws are reasonable but a National ID card is not.  Here's the difference:  A National ID card is something you'd have to carry with you everywhere, every day.  Voter ID is required only if and when you vote, which — in a free country — you don't have to do.  Voter ID laws are not about suppressing the votes of any U.S. citizen.  They are necessary because dead people vote for Democrats.

Updated 2/5/2013:
Those who favor a national ID card system -- for whatever reason -- tend to use the crisis du jour as an excuse to implement it.  After 9/11/2001, the all-purpose threat of "terrorism" was used, and more recently the "crisis" of illegal immigration is the excuse.  For example, here is the pro-ID-card viewpoint from the Washington Post:

The case for a national ID card.  The United States has invested tens of billions of dollars in the past decade alone to foil illegal immigration — tightening the border, accelerating deportations, deputizing local police — while doing precious little to stop employers from hiring undocumented immigrants.  That is fixable — by means of a universal national identity card — and must be fixed as part of any sensible overhaul of the nation's immigration system.

The Editor says...
There is an old expression, at least as old as the internet, that says, "Cattle are tagged for the benefit of the farmer, not the cows."  Big-government leftists periodically lift up this idea of issuing National ID papers to everyone, so there can never again be any doubt about any person's status.  This will allegedly guarantee the ability to find out any random person's name, ID number, citizenship, criminal background, blood type, and organ donor status immediately.  The National ID card system depends on several conditions that will never happen:  (1) Everyone must submit and get the card.  (2) Nobody will ever lose their ID card.  (3a) Nobody can make counterfeit cards.  (3b) Nobody will ever figure out how to alter the card or load it with false data.  (4a) Nobody can refuse to show their card at government checkpoints.  (4b) Everyone will meekly ask for the government's permission to travel or to enter a government-controlled building.  (5) Nobody at the ID card issuing office will ever put incorrect information on anybody's card.  (6) Failure to carry the card or produce it on demand will be reason enough to search that person and his or her belongings and surroundings (car, purse, house), and hardly anyone will find this objectionable.  (7) Your local cops and the airport cops will always behave as they should.

So it is obvious that the ID card won't be practical, and lots of people will still get away with the things that were supposed to have been prevented by the ID card, and something else will have to be done to close the loopholes.  Unfortunately a mechanism exists that would remedy conditions 2, 4a and 6 above:  The ID card information could be put on RFID chips, and the chips implanted in each person's hand.  A person with no hands would get the chip implanted in his or her forehead.  No one with the implanted chip will ever lose it or fail to produce it on demand.  Dogs, cats and cattle get "chipped" already, as you are probably aware.  Implanting the chip would leave a small scar or a mark.  Eventually, you would face severe penalties for refusal to accept the RFID implant, and without the mark, you would not be able to buy or sell anything.  If that scenario doesn't sound familiar, you may be surprised to learn that the situation described above was prophesied thousands of years ago.

Oh, but surely I'm extrapolating too far, you say.  No, look around and you will see hundreds of power-hungry leftist politicians who want the central government to control every aspect of our lives.  They will be the ones to bring about a system like the' one I have described, with enthusiastic help from the Washington Post and the television "news" (i.e., propaganda) networks, which are staffed with like-minded leftists already.  The time to stop this nonsense is now, before anyone believes this to be a viable cure for the nation's problems.

Subcategories:

General background information about the National ID Card system.   (Scroll down — it's on this page.)

Technical Problems with National ID Cards that make the whole idea infeasible.

Political Problems with National ID Cards that make the system un-American.

What could possibly go wrong?  Identity theft, loss of privacy, things like that.

Massive interactive databases that sometimes interact and are sometimes hacked into.

Disingenuousness.  Your elected representatives aren't likely to tell the whole truth about standardized driver's licenses and other ways the US government is trying to get National IDs into place.

Other countries' experiences with National ID systems.  The US isn't the only country contemplating such a plan.

Other items yet to be categorized.

Related pages nearby:

Electronic Voting.

Voter ID laws.

RFID technology and its impact on privacy.

General background information about the National ID Card system
... as it appears to be taking shape

Identity Cards:  Frequently Asked Questions

National ID Card FAQ

National ID Card.  All states are preparing to issue new driver's licenses embedded with "standard identifier" data — a national ID.  A national ID with new tracking technologies means we're heading into an Orwellian world of no privacy.

23andMe must secure its DNA databases immediately.  23andMe, born from the techno-optimism of the Human Genome Project, revolutionized direct-to-consumer genetic testing.  But with its valuation now in freefall, mounting layoffs and its board resigning en masse, 23andMe's imminent failure raises a critical question:  What will happen to the sensitive genetic data of its 15 million customers?  This is not just 23andMe's reckoning; it's a warning for the customers of the entire direct-to-customer endeavor, which has long struggled to balance rapid innovation and profits with robust consumer protections.  Your DNA — an immutable blueprint of your identity — could be sold, shared with unknown entities or exploited for targeted advertising and product development without your consent.

The Editor says...
The article above appears on The Hill.  Capitalism, advertising, and "product development" are not the danger here.  Big-government tyrants would have a field day with a database containing everybody's DNA.

Australia's New Law Pushes Digital ID for Everyone To Ban Kids From Social Media.  Australia is gearing up to roll out some of the world's strictest social media rules, with Parliament having pushed through legislation to bar anyone under 16 from creating accounts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.  It's a sweeping measure but, as the ink dries, the questions are piling up.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government and the opposition teamed up on Thursday to pass the new restrictions with bipartisan enthusiasm.  And why not?  Opinion polls show a whopping 77% of Australians are behind the idea.  Protecting kids online is an easy sell which is why it's often used to usher in the most draconian of laws.  Still, the devil — as always — is in the details.  Here's the crux of the new law: to use social media, Australians will need to prove they're old enough.  That means showing ID, effectively ending the anonymity that's long been a feature (or flaw, depending on your perspective) of the online experience.

TSA set to enforce controversial Real ID program next May with two-year transition period.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are set to begin enforcing their controversial Real ID program next year, albeit with a two-year transition period.  Unveiled only on September 12, the proposed rule would require all U.S. residents to obtain a Real ID card by May 2025 or risk being denied entry to domestic flights and some federal facilities.  Multiple organizations are speaking out about TSA's rush to implement the program, which they claim is a severe breach of states' rights, individual liberty, and privacy.  The Real ID program dates back to Congress passing the Real ID Act in 2005.  The law and subsequent regulations have aimed to create a centralized ID to replace traditional state-issued forms of ID, such as a driver's license, purportedly to increase national security.  Opportunities for public comment on the enforcement of Real ID ended on Tuesday, October 15.

Big Brother Goes Digital:  The Feds' Race to Integrate Mobile IDs in America.  The push to develop digital ID and expand its use in the US is receiving a boost as the country's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is launching a new project.  NIST's National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) has teamed up with 15 large financial and state institutions, as well as tech companies, to research and develop a way of integrating Mobile Driver's License (mDL) into financial services.  But according to NIST, this is just the start and the initial focus of the program.  The agreement represents an effort to tie in yet more areas of people's lives in their digital ID ("customer identification program requirements" is how NIST's announcement describes the focus of this particular initiative).  These schemes are often criticized by rights advocates for their potential to be used as mass surveillance tools.

Government, in a rout.  For example, in the U.K., it is now apparently illegal to speak out against illegals, or to question mass immigration at all.  An elderly man was recently arrested for making "improper" comments on his Facebook page.  Going forward, if someone is even "remotely involved," whatever that means, they could be dragged before a court.  In recent years, citizens have been arrested for distributing flyers questioning the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines and silently praying outside of an abortion clinic. [...] Australians — and others — will likely soon have to utilize a digital ID before being allowed to access the internet.  That would make it much easier to police speech.  In France, police recently arrested several Christians... for protesting attacks on Christians.  Ironically, the six were members of a group that dared to traverse the streets of Paris in a bus sporting a sign saying "Stop Attacks On Christians." [...] And, in America, the government has tried time and again to silence its political opposition, going so far as jailing those who had the audacity to be in the vicinity of "The People's House" on Jan. 6.

New York Rolls Out Digital IDs Following New Online Digital ID Law.  It's surely just a coincidence that New York has passed its online digital ID law, just as the state has joined the ranks of states adopting mobile ID technology, enabling residents to convert their traditional driver's licenses or non-driver IDs into digital formats.  As of this week, New Yorkers can download the New Longyear Mobile ID app from both the Apple App Store and Google Play.  This digital version allows users to verify their identity at airports and other locations requiring ID.  To set up their mobile ID, users must initially scan both sides of their existing physical ID card using their smartphone.  The launch was unveiled at a media event at LaGuardia Airport, where Robert Duffy, the federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration, and other officials were present.  During the briefing, it was stated that the introduction of mobile IDs is a significant step towards modernizing identity security and airport screening processes.  Officials highlighted the optional nature of the digital IDs, noting they offer greater convenience without being mandatory.

The Editor says...
Ri-i-i-ight.  They're not mandatory.  YET.

Orwellian Digital IDs Simultaneously Implemented by Multiple Nations.  Infowars and others have warned for decades about the globalist agenda to create a digital database that tracks citizens and gives the ruling class more control.  Now, the digital identification phase of this Orwellian scheme is being rolled out in almost every nation that has signed on with the corrupt anti-human elite.  Groups like the World Economic Forum, World Health Organization, United Nations, European Union and others have all planned on introducing this technology for many years, and the COVID-19 pandemic was instrumental in setting the precedent for the IDs.

Digital IDs Simultaneously Implemented By Multiple Nations At Globalist Command.  Infowars and others have warned for decades about the globalist agenda to create a digital database that tracks citizens and gives the ruling class more control.  Now, the digital identification phase of this Orwellian scheme is being rolled out in almost every nation that has signed on with the corrupt anti-human elite.  Groups like the World Economic Forum, World Health Organization, United Nations, European Union and others have all planned on introducing this technology for many years, and the COVID-19 pandemic was instrumental in setting the precedent for the IDs.  The Australian Parliament passed digital ID laws on Thursday, the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) added digital IDs to its list of acceptable forms of identification two weeks ago, and the latest EU digital ID rules will begin being enforced on Monday.

The QR code society is no longer a conspiracy theory.  Yesterday evening [5/13/2024] at 20:00 UTC, this alert was received by many residents of Paris[.]  [Illustration:  Screenshot?]  The message was accompanied by a shrill ringtone even for cell phones that were turned in silent mode[.]  Let's hope the French people continue the trend of taking to the streets in massive protests when the government starts going haywire[.]  Meanwhile, QR code society is no longer a conspiracy theory[.]

TSA Visited Apple and Google To Discuss Collaboration for Digital ID.  The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is continuing collaboration with Big Tech concerning the use of biometric surveillance technology, but also the development of digital IDs for passengers.  On its site, the TSA revealed that its officials traveled to California recently where they met with representatives of Apple and Google to talk about continuing work on implementing digital ID on people's phones.  The TSA delegation to Silicon Valley, led by Administrator David Pekoske, referred to Apple and Google as their "innovation partners."  The goal is to continue with yet another example of "public-private" aka, government-Big Tech "partnership."

What Is "REAL ID"?  Following an unprecedented series of revelations about the collusion of Big Tech and government agencies in monitoring and censoring Americans, the issue of digital privacy and autonomy is high on the priority list for 2024 voters.  As recently highlighted by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., even our cars have become tools of surveillance and data collection, placing unprecedented control over our most sensitive personal information in the hands of a few.  [Tweet]  At the same time, however, the issues of border security and election integrity are increasingly top of mind for voters — particularly those in border states such as California, Arizona, and Texas.

The TSA Plans [a] Big Digital ID Push in 2024.  The US's leading transportation security organization, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), is taking significant steps towards a more digital future.  And, of course, that means more surveillance and tracking.  The plan is that, by the end of 2024, many of their operational objectives will encompass a digital identity component, a move that suggests an enduring commitment towards streamlining traveler experiences with technology, even though it undermines privacy.  In a four-part action plan released by the TSA, the agency plans to extend its mobile driver's license initiative and more widely utilize facial recognition technology in airports.  This includes up-scaling their current pilot program testing digital identities and mobile licenses — used at TSA checkpoints — to at least nine states.  It follows a previous announcement in May that disclosed the TSA's examination of the potential for digital license and ID implementations across 25 domestic airports.

The Problem with Digital ID & CBDCs — No Freedom Ever Again.  The problem of Digital ID and CBDC's is the end of freedom forever.  This is a totalitarian movement, and it could even be tied to their depopulation goals.  [Two tweets with video clips]  The EU parliament agreed to introduce digital IDs and the pro-censorship chief Theirry Breton suggested integrating it with soon-to-be CBDCs.  We're well on our way to losing control over our money.  The Euro leftists are leading the way.

Flashpoints of a second civil war?  ["]For more than a year, Breitbart News has chronicled how DHS is planning to roll out a pilot program that will give border crossers and illegal aliens photo ID cards, similar to a driver's license, upon their release into the United States interior from the southern border.["]  This, knowing there is no way to confirm the identity of most, if not all, illegal immigrants.  They'll be giving official government ID to military-aged males from enemy countries, establishing false identities for them.  Unless government can be certain of the identification of these cardholders, data entry, storage and retrieval will be chaotic at best.  We'll be storing false, misdirecting data on ghosts, criminals, terrorists and spies.  These will be alternate social security numbers, rendering the real thing essentially meaningless. [...] This is nothing less than normalizing and legalizing illegal immigration.  It's establishing a separate criminal class, yet a class that can never be prosecuted for their crimes.  It's a blatant flaunting of the law.  Blue states will use the cards, without any vetting, to issue driver's licenses, voter registration cards, and all manner of other entitlements.  Every card issued is an abetment of a variety of federal crimes, and surrender of our national sovereignty.

Joe Biden's DHS Confirms Illegal Aliens Freed into U.S. Will Get Photo ID Cards in 2024.  President Joe Biden's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that the agency is developing a program that will provide border crossers and illegal aliens released into the United States with photo ID cards.  For more than a year, Breitbart News has chronicled how DHS is planning to roll out a pilot program that will give border crossers and illegal aliens photo ID cards, similar to a driver's license, upon their release into the United States interior from the southern border.  Now, DHS officials are seemingly confirming their plan to issue photo IDs to such border crossers and illegal aliens.  Buried in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) annual report, officials confirmed that they are planning to begin issuing the photo ID cards to border crossers and illegal aliens sometime this fiscal year.

The Editor says...
There is only one reason to provide ID cards to every illegal alien, and it's not so they can be identified and deported later.  It is to enable them to get a job, sign up for welfare benefits, and VOTE.

Joe Biden's DHS Confirms Illegal Aliens Freed into U.S. Will Get Photo ID Cards in 2024.  President Joe Biden's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that the agency is developing a program that will provide border crossers and illegal aliens released into the United States with photo ID cards.  For more than a year, Breitbart News has chronicled how DHS is planning to roll out a pilot program that will give border crossers and illegal aliens photo ID cards, similar to a driver's license, upon their release into the United States interior from the southern border.  Now, DHS officials are seemingly confirming their plan to issue photo IDs to such border crossers and illegal aliens.

No Man is a Digital Island.  Over the last few decades, we've watched as technology has rapidly outpaced our ability to understand it and much of it is due to digitalization.  We've seen facial/fingerprint recognition, holography and RFID (radio frequency identification) become the new 'policemen' of our society, as we sleepwalk towards the future where personal identification/tracking and unchecked surveillance replace our right to be left alone.  This march to that brave new world is not limited to North America; it's everywhere, even in small countries like Denmark that embraced a system of "My ID" as a digital key to access nearly everything.

The Digital Identity Wallet is an electronic leash with which Brussels wants to control its citizens.  The agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the EU Digital Identity Wallet is open to abuse and gives Brussels the ability to deny people rights and control them.  According to the new European legislation, the wallets, which are to be voluntary for the time being, will include digital versions of all ID cards, driving licenses, degree certificates, and medical documentation.  The European Commission insists that the system will be secure, and the current Spanish presidency of the EU is saying that this will make the EU a digital leader at a global level in protecting democratic values, but what has digitalization got to do with European values?  On the contrary, the move actually threatens European values as argued by 504 academics and experts from 39 countries who have signed an open letter warning of the dangers to people's online security and freedom.

While you were watching Israel.  Digital ID has been in the news a lot lately, obscured for the past week in the mist of the Israel-Hamas situation.  Last month the United Nation Developments Programme published its legal guidelines for digital IDs as well as "mobilizing" global leadership with a $400 [million] fund to "empower" digital identity programmes in over 100 countries.  Various nations are already making steps in that direction.  Multiple US states are either already issuing digital IDs or planning to in the near future, as are Kenya, Somalia, Bhutan and Singapore.  Austria's system is going online in December.  Just last week, Forbes Australia published it's guide to what "Australians need to know" about digital IDs, and 9News reported that they could be in place as soon as next year.  Just two days ago, the Journal of Australian Law Society predicted the same thing.

Gates Foundation Wants Help to Create Digital ID and Payments System.  "Financial inclusion" seems to be the buzzword that proponents of digital IDs, payments, and data exchange have picked for their PR sloganeering in favor of something that is, objectively, very controversial.  And where better to "test" something of that kind than among those who due to their economic circumstances don't have much of a say — like a number of African countries.  But don't expect those behind the effort, juggernauts like Mastercard or the (Bill) Gates Foundation, to ever spell it out in those stark terms.  After all, it's genuine concern for other humans, equity, equality, and kindness that's been behind the billions, if not trillions of dollars they have amassed thus far, right?  Clearly not.  But what are they up to now?  "Stakeholders" they call themselves — self-appointed though, and their goal — other than, ostensibly, to keep the "global south" in check — is to make sure that digital public infrastructure projects, "including digital IDs," get as much traction as possible in developing countries (first).

The Smartphone Revolution:  Will Digital IDs Redefine Government Interactions?  Since 2019, Coloradans have been able to use a digital ID as a legal form of personal identification throughout the state.  Users download an application to their smartphone, enroll in the service, and have their identity authenticated by taking photos or videos of a valid ID card or other government issued documents to prove that they are who they claim to be.  Then that information is encrypted, and the user is granted a digital ID and an associated key or code that serves as an identifier.  Coloradans can simply show their digital ID to verify their identity in much the same way as you would show your driver's license to a bartender to prove you are over 21. [...] Despite the potential benefits, there are some risks showing that letting this happen would be about as wise as strolling through a minefield while sporting a new pair of tap shoes.  At the outset, there is the glaring issue of privacy.  Implementing a centralized digital ID program means collecting and storing oodles of personal data.

Atlanta Airport goes full dystopian, using digital facial recognition IDs.  World Economic Forum founder and executive director Klaus Schwab heaped praise on the Chinese Communist Party this week for adopting "new COVID control measures" while boosting "social dynamism" at the WEF's Annual Meeting of the New Champions.  We will break down in this article what Schwab means by "social dynamism."  This is important, why?  Because Schwab, a globalist, futurist a transhumanist, holds immense sway over many of our Western politicians in Canada, the U.S., Australia, etc., at both the state and federal levels.  Heads of state and governors of all political stripes, from Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, flock to his meetings in Davos each year.  Kemp told the corporate media he was going to Davos in January 2023 to "sell Georgia."  He no sooner returned and we found out that Georgia became one of the first handful of states to launch a new drivers' license with biometric digital identities using facial recognition software.  This means a QR Code containing personal biometric data, recognizable instantly when your facial features get scanned at ports of call worldwide, will be assigned to every citizen who signs up for this new digital ID.

A Global System Of Digital Identification "For All" That Would Be Connected To Our Bank Accounts.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out where this could be heading.  For a moment, I would like for you to imagine a rather chilling "fictional" scenario.  Not too far in the future, all "global citizens" are required to possess proper "digital identification" or else they will not be permitted to access the new global digital financial system.  Central banks all over the globe have rolled out their new "central bank digital currencies", but in order to use those currencies you must "prove that you are who you say you are", and the only way to do that is with the new global system of digital identification that has been introduced.  As cash is phased out, those that resist being part of the new global system are increasingly pushed to the outer fringes of society. [...] Once a global system of digital identification is introduced, it will rapidly become our most important form of identification.  It will become more important than your driver's license and more important than your Social Security number.

WEF report admits digital ID could be used for 'surveillance and persecution'.  The World Economic Forum (WEF) has admitted in a new report that digital IDs are exclusionary by nature and can facilitate "the identification, surveillance and persecution of individuals or groups."  In its June 2023 Insight Report titled "Reimagining Digital ID," the WEF described the potential risks of the widespread implementation of a digital ID.  "Perhaps the greatest risks arising from digital ID are exclusion, marginalization and oppression," the report warns.  "Several reports have identified a link between a lack of official ID and exclusion from full participation in society," the report states.  "Yet by reifying conditional access, ID is, by its very nature, exclusionary."  "It is often members of historically marginalized groups who face the harshest forms of exclusion," the document adds.

EU Vote to Implement Digital ID [is the] Latest Step in the 'Chinaficaiton of Europe' — MEP.  A European Parliament vote for bloc-wide digital IDs is the latest step towards the "Chinafication of Europe", an MEP has claimed.  Cristian Terhes, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party, has described the European Union's latest push for cross-border digital IDs as another move towards the "Chinafication" of the bloc.

Australia to Become The First Country Since China To Implement A Digital-ID and Surveillance State.  Ministers from Australia's federal government have agreed to a deal with their state and territory counterparts to include digital credentials in the new national digital identity system, reports the Australian Financial Review.  The agreement paves the way for driver's licenses and occupational credentials to be recognized across the country, and to store their credentials in a digital wallet, all based on international standards.  "The move to bring identity and credentials together is world leading," NSW Digital Minister Victor Dominello told AFR Weekend.  He credits federal finance minister Katy Gallagher for bringing the sides together.

Tony Blair Wants National Databases to Track Vaccination Status for a 'Whole Slew' of Future Vaccines.  Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair called for a "digital infrastructure" to track vaccination status at Davos 2023.  A conference hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) is indeed an appropriate venue for Blair's most inappropriate demand, since WEF previously released its plan for a digital ID required to do or buy anything.  "You need to know who's been vaccinated and who hasn't been," Blair exclaimed.  "You've got to have the proper digital infrastructure."  WEF's digital ID would essentially be a social credit score, as the ID would be required to access social media and government benefits, vote, open bank accounts, book travel, shop, access healthcare and insurance, own electronic devices, and make online purchases, among many other applications.  If you want to know how that turns out, look at Communist China.  WEF has already partnered with the Dutch and Canadian governments to roll out a digital ID, and Tony Blair seems to be ready, willing, and eager to assist WEF as well.

Transcommunism is coming.  [The] "Known Traveler Digital Identity (KTDI)" was a pilot project of the WEF in 2018. Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada is a Young Global Leader of the WEF.  The other partner in Canada's KTDI programme, by the way, is the Dutch government.  That includes Sigrid Kaag (D66), an 'agenda contributor' to the WEF.  Kaag is pretty much the Netherlands' shadow prime minister and finance minister.  She reported a few days ago that she wants to oblige banks to put all transactions above 100 euros into a large database, under the guise of fighting fiscal fraud.  That in itself is a huge breach of privacy law.  The Dutch government's plan to track almost all transactions of its citizens could also be a preparatory step towards the implementation of a digital central bank currency (Central Bank Digital Currency).  That digital euro is again not a fairy tale of conspiracy thinkers, but was also previously announced by the European Central Bank.  Such a digital Euro, centrally controlled by the ECB is the prelude to a total social control society on the Chinese model.  With it, every financial transaction can not only be monitored but then adjusted or even banned.  Linked to credit or debit cards, your spending patterns can be accurately tracked.  Linked to your "Covid Safe" card or app (which will be soon renamed as a Health Certificate) your money can be blocked in case of 'undesirable behavior'.  Bought too much meat or avocados from Africa this month causing your carbon footprint to go into the red?  Then your digital money for these products will be blocked.  Put too many bottles of Moët et Chandon Champagne in your shopping basket while your digital health certificate knows you have high blood pressure?  "Better not drink any more alcohol this month anyway" your digital money will say to you.  Anyone who already takes a plane once in a while will not be able to book their next flight if as a result your 'CO2 plane points' have been exceeded.  Airmiles will suddenly take on a whole new meaning.

Tyranny looms as digital IDs and currencies roll out around the world.  The process of rolling out digital IDs worldwide began years before the COVID fiasco and the publication of Klaus Schwab's book "COVID-19: The Great Reset."  The United Nations' project ID2020 launched in 2016; its goal is to provide every person in the world with a digital identity.  But the European Union created the legal framework for the introduction of a European digital ID even earlier than that, in 2014.  This March my colleague Ashley Sadler wrote a great article about how world elites are quietly preparing digital IDs to put a global surveillance state in place.  When we look at Europe, we can see that digital IDs are already used by most of the population in many countries, like Italy, Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

Japan steps up its digital ID push, tells public they may lose health insurance if they don't sign up.  There is a discernible and forceful push in many countries toward digitization and switching citizens' key sensitive personal and financial data from "analog doldrums" to government-controlled (and easily accessible by multiple agencies) centralized databases.  Somewhat telling of how important this task is for those in power, is the fact they are increasingly either pulling all the stops or threatening to, prodding a reluctant population in the desired direction.  In Japan, those who are unsure about signing up for digital IDs — and reports say, those are many — are being told they risk losing their public health insurance, AP writes.  Japan's Social Security Number-like scheme was launched back in 2016. It's called My Number and consists of 12 digits given to all residents.  But My Number has been far from a resounding success as many Japanese avoid using it, afraid their personal data and right to privacy could be compromised.

Gates Foundation gives $200 million to help establish global digital ID system of surveillance.  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently pledged $1.27 billion toward the United Nations' openly pro-abortion 2030 Agenda goals, with $200 million going directly to aid in the creation of an invasive global digital ID system.  According to a September 21 press release published on the Gates Foundation's website, the $200 million package will be used to create an infrastructure that "encompasses tools such as interoperable payment systems, digital ID, data-sharing systems, and civil registry databases" that purports to make countries "more resilient to crises such as food shortages, public health threats, and climate change, as well as to aid in pandemic and economic recovery."  The 2030 Agenda was adopted by the UN in 2015 and establishes a set of 17 goals that are rooted in Marxist theory.  These goals, set to be achieved by 2030, aim to control the population through abortion and contraception, reduce fossil fuel consumption supposedly for the sake of the climate, and instigate a global ID system in which people's every move will be tracked and monitored.

Gates Invests Heavily in Digital ID System — Social Credit Ready.  It seemed like yesterday when people were suing Facebook, now META, for invasion of privacy.  Now, we have the advent of government digital IDs that can not only invade individual privacy in a more far-reaching way but can be used to track and control everyone.  The government wouldn't abuse them, would they?  This month, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) said it would invest $200 million in digital ID projects as part of a $1.27 billion commitment to global health and development.  It mirrors the Marxist UN's 16.9 sustainable development goals. [...] In China, state-issued smart cards record and analyze a person's entire relationship with the government by tracking every transaction an individual has with the state.  This is used to build the person's social credit.  This model is also referred to as "a single source of truth."  A recent investigation revealed that Venezuela's new smart card (carnet de la Patria, or 'fatherland card') was inspired by the Chinese model.  Currently, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System initiated a pilot program with six banks to monitor ESG (environment, social, and governance).  It mirrors the Chinese Communist model.

As Gates Doubles Down on Digital IDs, Critic Warns of 'Gravest Technological Threat' to Liberty.  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) this month said it will invest $200 million in digital ID projects, encompassing "digital public infrastructure, including civil registry databases and digital ID" to help meet the 2030 target date for reaching the United Nation's (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The $200 million in new funding — part of an overall $1.27 billion commitment by the BMGF in support of "global health and development projects," is closely tied to Goal 16.9 of the SDGs, for which "digital identity programs are supposedly needed," Reclaim the Net reported.  The funding adds to several existing BMFG-supported global digital ID initiatives, even as such initiatives come under fire for violating people's right to privacy.

Government 'Oversight' Is a Very Bad Joke.  [Scroll down]  The state Department of Finance recently completed a far-more extensive look at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which has been under scrutiny for hours-long wait times as people try to conform to the REAL ID license law.  The feds have required states to check out additional identification and issue new licenses to improve security when people use them to board airplanes.  That requirement will be as effective as other aspects of the Transportation Security Administration's "security theater," but Congress passed the measure in 2005.

The Rise of the American Police State.  The National I.D Card, a certificate carried in the wallets of the citizens, would only increase the control that the government possesses to monitor the lives of citizens.  The police force in America would in turn be allowed an intimate glimpse of an individual's background just by reading his or her driver's license.  Proposed after the tragic attacks on American soil in 2001, the Real ID Act would ensure the initiation of the National ID card.  Members of Congress who oppose the act, including Ron Paul, have referred to it as a "Trojan horse." While a National ID card might seem like a unique and effective way to safeguard Americans from terrorism and other domestic dangers, it actually forces Americans to rescind their privacy and a bit of their freedom.  The card would allow driver's licenses to include personal data and biometric information.  Biometric information can include a DNA profile, iris scan, fingerprints, or even a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip, which would enable the government to know where a person is located at all times.  Along with the National ID card, the act would establish huge databases of personal files including biometric information.

New Mexico's REAL ID rules have forced court caseloads 'to go off the charts'.  For decades, New Mexico residents didn't give much thought to the name on their government-issued IDs.  They sometimes changed it — though not legally — to a name they preferred or didn't care if their name was misspelled.  But then the state passed the REAL ID Act, a stricter identification requirement that forced residents to either keep their legal name on all government-issued IDs or petition the courts to change it.  And that has forced hundreds of New Mexican to flood the courts to update and verify their official documents, from their driver's licenses to their passports to their social security cards.

Chicago approves IDs for illegal immigrants.  The Windy City has a whole host of issues to deal with these days, many of them centered around the fact that you're more likely to be murdered there than in Fallujah on any given day.  But rather than worrying about pesky little problems like that, the city council has decided to go after the really big ticket items on the agenda.  One of these is to begin creating and distributing special municipal ID cards for various "underserved" groups including illegal immigrants.  What could possibly go wrong?

Get Ready for Passport "Globalization".  Over one billion people presently cross borders each year.  In addition, there are over 250 million people who are expatriates — living outside their home country.  These numbers are higher than ever before in history and growing.  As The Great Unravelling progresses, we will witness a dramatic increase in both statistics.  Along the way, we can expect the more restrictive governments, particularly those of the EU and US, to institute limitations on travel for their citizens, in order to keep them captive at home.  So, we can therefore anticipate changes in the issuance of passports.  There are two concepts afoot with regard to the future of passports, and they're direct opposites to each other.  The first is for a Global Passport, that all countries would issue and all would share computer information on all passport holders.  The other is a proliferation of passports created by an easing of citizenship requirements in small countries, resulting in each individual having the ability to possess several passports, thus diminishing his "ownership" by his home country.

TSA to deny 9 state licenses as valid ID for domestic travel.  If you're like most Americans, you use a driver's license to get through security at the airport.  Well, the rules on what makes that license a valid form of federal ID are changing.  It's a process more than a decade in the making.  In 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act.  It sets stricter and more secure requirements for state driver's licenses and identification cards.

Driver Licenses From Nine States Won't Be Valid IDs for Domestic Flights in 2018.  Beginning Jan. 22, 2018, travelers from nine states will no longer be able to travel with only their driver's licenses.  Residents of Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington will have to use alternate ID forms (passport, military ID, or permanent resident card) to pass TSA security checkpoints — even for domestic travel.  On Thursday [12/22/2016], the TSA began placing signage around airport security checkpoints to inform travelers of the new rules going into effect in 2018.

Virginia Dem Suggests 'ID Document' for Illegal Immigrants to Show They're 'Not Breaking Any Laws'.  Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said he would support legislation to simplify the immigration visa system if both parties cannot come to an agreement on a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.  "Absolutely, as we make sure that people are properly vetted for Homeland Security purposes.  But, yeah, even the path to citizenship, there's much we can do before that — letting people get driver's licenses, making sure people are paying taxes — those aren't necessarily citizenship but it takes them out of the shadows, takes the families away from fear," he told PJM at the Virginia Democrats' election results event in the Beltway on Tuesday evening [1/8/2016].

Homeland Security gives states, territories another two years to comply with federal ID law.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday announced that five states that have not yet complied with a 10-year-old federal law mandating stricter driver's license requirements, intended to bolster national security, will have another two years to do so.  DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday [1/8/2016] that complying with the department's Real ID law, passed in 2005, is critical to U.S. security in that it makes obtaining a phony state-issued ID tougher for potential criminals.

TSA Says It Will Stop Accepting Driver's Licenses From Nine States.  The last time we took notice of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), it was to inform you that the unpopular, expensive, and ineffectual outfit had decided it could force travelers on domestic airline flights to go through full-body scanners.  Previously, TSA had allowed folks to submit instead to a full-body pat-down.  Now comes even more troubling news.  A decade ago, Congress passed The Real ID Act which was supposed to make it easier for law enforcement to share information on driver's licenses issued by the states and territories.  Even during a period of heightened fear of terrorism, there was massive and continuing pushback because everyone realized that when the federal government (or any other centralized authority) concentrates information, it just makes it that much easier for it to get hacked or misused.

Terminal Confusion? DHS push could make some IDs invalid for flying.  Millions of air travelers across the U.S. are potentially at risk of finding themselves grounded in the new year thanks to a post-9/11 law that took a decade to finally come into effect.  The REAL ID Act, originally passed in 2005, was meant to tighten standards for government-issued IDs like driver's licenses — to boot, it banned federal agencies from accepting any IDs that don't meet the bar.  That means the TSA technically shouldn't accept driver's licenses from certain states, once the law is in full effect.  While Washington let the rules slide for years, the Department of Homeland Security could start to enforce them in 2016 and is pushing states to comply.

Grounded: New Mexico driver's licenses fail feds' test, thanks to illegal immigrant policy.  Driver's licenses issued by New Mexico are about to become a lot less useful, and residents can blame the state's insistence on issuing the IDs to illegal immigrants.  The federal Department of Homeland Security informed state officials last week that a two-year effort to reconcile tough federal ID requirements with the granting of licenses to illegal immigrants based on dubious documents failed.  Beginning on Jan. 10, state driver's licenses will no longer be accepted at federal facilities, and eventually, state IDs won't be enough to get bearers on board commercial flights.

Millions of Americans might need passports to fly domestic.  A decade ago, the U.S. government issued stricter standards for state-issued IDs, including drivers licenses.  But four states have refused to comply:  Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York.  The deadline for upgrading is coming up in 2016. If those four states don't upgrade their ID systems by the deadline, the TSA will demand that residents of those four states use passports rather than drivers licenses to board flights next year.  About 9.5 million drivers licenses have been issued in those states, according to government licensing records.

If you live in any of these 5 states, you'll soon need a passport for domestic flights.  A helpful reminder from the website AntiMedia advises that, in compliance with the 2005 Real ID Act, residents of five states — Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, and Wisconsin — will need a passport to fly domestically beginning in 2016.  The website of Department of Homeland Security explains somewhat convolutedly in a sidebar that these fives states, along with American Somoa, are "noncompliant jurisdictions."  As such, these localities are required "to follow alternative access control procedures for purposes covered by the Act," meaning that to board an aircraft, you need a passport.

Carrot-and-stick incentives will be used to implement a National ID card:  This is a carrot.
Yankee Fans Sharing Fingerprints Will Gain Faster Stadium Access.  Yankee Stadium visitors soon will be able to avoid long security lines by registering their fingerprints with a biometric identity service used at 12 U.S. airports.  Starting Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, visitors to the Bronx, New York, ballpark who register — for free — with Clear will be able to use "Fast Access" entryways to get into the grounds, the Yankees said in a news release.  Two other stadiums, San Francisco's AT&T Park and Denver's Coors Field, already use the service.

NY ID Cards a Smash.  A new ID card issued by the city of New York, called IDNYC, has drawn an unexpectedly huge response, as some New Yorkers who already have government-issued identification have joined enormous numbers of illegal immigrants, elderly residents, and even the homeless to clamor for such a card.  In the first month after it was offered, the city received 260,000 requests for appointments.  City officials had believed 250,000 to 300,000 applicants for a whole year would be a satisfactory number.  Over 30,000 cards have already reached their applicants.

National ID and the REAL ID Act.  Americans have rejected the idea of a national ID card.  When the Social Security Number (SSN) was created in 1936, it was meant to be used only as an account number associated with the administration of the Social Security system.  Though use of the SSN has expanded considerably, it is not a universal identifier and efforts to make it one have been consistently rejected.  In 1971, the Social Security Administration task force on the SSN rejected the extension of the Social Security Number to the status of an ID card.  In 1973, the Health, Education and Welfare Secretary's Advisory Committee on Automated Personal Data Systems concluded that a national identifier was not desirable.  In 1976, the Federal Advisory Committee on False Identification rejected the idea of an identifier.

Latest Obama order aims to combat identity theft, data breaches.  President Obama signed an executive order on Friday [10/17/2014] designed to increase Americans' financial security and strengthen protections against identity theft.  The new "BuySecure" initiative is an attempt to expedite the transition away from debit and credit cards with magnetic strips, a dated technology that's more vulnerable to intrusion, and toward cards with microchips and PIN numbers, which are considered more secure.  Under the order, starting next year, all government-issued cards will make use of the newer technology.

Note:  Any action the government does not want you to notice is taken on Friday afternoons.

Obama's Internet ID Plot Being Tested in Two States.  A plot by the Obama administration to impose Internet IDs on Americans is now officially being rolled out, with pilot programs for the controversial online "driver's license" scheme already beginning in both Michigan and Pennsylvania.  According to the White House, the virtual "Identity Ecosystem" being funded and pushed by the federal government is supposed to make the Internet more "secure" and "convenient."  Critics across the political spectrum, however, are warning that the Orwellian scheme only makes it more convenient for the feds to spy on people, control the public, and suppress dissent.

Also posted under Obama is taking control of the internet.

Starting next month, all D.C. licenses will need to be replaced.  Starting May 1, the District [of Columbia] will start issuing Real ID licenses that conform to stringent federal regulations, the Department of Motor Vehicles announced last week.  Any driver's license issued before that date will need to be replaced by Jan. 19, 2015, to enter certain federal buildings (the D.C. DMV's site incorrectly states that it will begin on Oct. 1) and by 2016 to board a domestic flight (alternatively, a passport can still be used).  All other licenses, permits and identification cards issued by the DMV also are affected by the new regulations.

WH Touts Kenyan Program to Obtain National ID Cards for Voter Registration.  As President Obama and his family continue their tour of Africa, the White House put out a Fact Sheet entitled "U.S. Support for Strengthening Democratic Institutions, Rule of Law, and Human Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa."  One of the first items highlighted by the White House is a $53 million program in Kenya that helps young people "obtain National identification cards, a prerequisite to voter registration."

Rubio Flips Again, Helps Sink Biometric Visa Tracking Amendment.  The Senate voted down an amendment to the upper chamber's immigration bill proposed by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) that would require a full biometric visa tracking system placed at every land, sea, and air port of entry in the United States before legalized immigrants could receive green cards.  The measure, which was also called for by the 9/11 Commission in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, would establish a biometric exit-entry system.

Shamnesty's New ID rules would threaten citizens' rights.  Sensible immigration reform will strengthen American society and economy.  But it must also respect the rights of U.S. citizens and those aspiring to join them.  Buried in the comprehensive immigration reform legislation before the Senate are obscure provisions that impose on Americans expansive national identification systems, tied to electronic verification schemes.  Under the guise of "reform," these trample fundamental rights and freedoms.

Fears of National ID With Immigration Bill.  Driver's license photographs and biographic information of most Americans would be accessible through an expanded Department of Homeland Security nationwide computer network if the immigration legislation pending before the Senate becomes law.  The proposed expansion is part of an effort to crack down on illegal immigration by requiring all employers to confirm the identity and legal status of any new workers by tapping into a Homeland Security Department system called E-Verify, which is now used voluntarily by about 7 percent of employers in the United States.

Senators in Immigration Talks Mull Federal IDs for All Workers.  Key senators are exploring an immigration bill that would force every U.S. worker — citizen or not — to carry a high-tech identity card that could use fingerprints or other personal markers to prove a person's legal eligibility to work.  The idea, signaled only in vaguely worded language from senators crafting a bipartisan immigration bill, has privacy advocates and others concerned that the law would create a national identity card that, in time, could track Americans at airports, hospitals and through other facets of their lives.

Would Internal Passports Be Next?  One of the things that has always distinguished the United States from the authoritarian countries of the world in that we have the freedom to travel anywhere and everywhere within the country — at will and without any required national documentation.  We don't have internal passports and we don't have national ID cards.  However, our betters at Pravda on the Potomac (or the Washington Post, if you prefer) think we all should have a universal national ID card with biometric identifiers built into it.  They propose this as a means to keep employers from hiring illegal aliens and as a means to deter illegal immigration.

DHS Delays REAL ID Implementation Indefinitely.  After years of kicking the can on the 2005 law, and just 13 states in compliance, Napolitano kicks it once again to a "suitable date."

Social Security: The birth of Big Brother.  "The S.S. number ... is the number the government uses to make sure you pay your taxes, to keep track of where you work (and how much you earn), where you bank (and how much you have in the bank), where you live, whom you marry, whether you have children (each of them to be issued their own ear tag in turn) and so on ... ."  The Tea Partyers who loathe Obamacare while cashing their Social Security checks should ask themselves:  Would Obamacare even be remotely enforceable without a government-issued, mandatory ID number to keep track of you and your money?

Our Civil Liberties on a Slippery Slope.  The idea of a national I.D. card has been around for decades.  Over the years Democrats have most often proposed it as a mechanism for easily determining one's citizenship, and one's eligibility for government-funded healthcare services.  Republicans, on the other hand, used to consistently oppose the idea, on the grounds that in order to issue federal I.D. cards the U.S. federal government had to collect more private personal data about individual citizens. ... In 2003 Republicans were outraged when then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton proposed a national I.D. card program.  Today, the Republican presidential frontrunner is campaigning with the idea.

The Case Against Driver's Licenses:  That little plastic laminated card you've got in your wallet or purse — you know, the state's permission slip for operating a motor vehicle?  Ever stop to reflect how peripheral the driving part of a driver's license is?  Because, of course, a driver's license is in fact our national ID card.  It's extremely hard to function in modern society without this national ID card — even if you never get behind the wheel of an automobile.  You can't open a bank account, cash a check, visit the doctor, vote, board an airplane or even get a job without one.

The Editor says...
The streets and freeways are dangerous because the State will let practically anybody have a driver's license, and even with a terrible driving record, keep it.  The license's function as a National ID Card would explain why.

Senators push Obama for biometric national ID card.  In a meeting with the president, Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham say that a federally issued ID card with biometric information such as a handprint is necessary to curb illegal immigration.

Will Americans Receive a Microchip Implant in 2013 per Obamacare?.  A major news story broke on AOL and countless other mainstream news media outlets, this past week, that the Obama Health Care Bill will require all U.S. citizens and babies to receive a microchip or Medchip by March 23, 2013.  Whether or not the microchip requirement in the bill is implemented by 2013, remains to be seen.

Obama Eyeing Internet ID for Americans.  President Obama is planning to hand the U.S. Commerce Department authority over a forthcoming cybersecurity effort to create an Internet ID for Americans, a White House official said here today [1/7/2011].  It's "the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government" to centralize efforts toward creating an "identity ecosystem" for the Internet, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said.

Real ID Act May Finally Be Enforced In 2013.  Nearly a decade after Congress passed a crucial security measure to prevent a repeat of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Obama Administration finally plans to implement the law next year after much stalling.  Known as the Real ID Act, the national identification measure was enacted in 2005 at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission to verify the authenticity of every driver's license applicant.  It forces states to require that documents — such as a birth certificate or passport — submitted to get the card are legitimate and that the applicant is in the United States legally.

The Editor says...
It will be interesting to see if Barack H. Obama can get one of these cards, since he has a phony birth certificate, he's evidently using somebody else's Social Security number, and may have dual citizenship.

Obama Wants To Implement Bush's National ID.  The REAL ID Act would establish a national driver's license database by requiring states to comply with costly and restrictive federal licensing standards.  Estimated costs are $23.1 billion over a 10 year period.  The government would require all 245 million license and state ID holders to visit their friendly DMV to acquire a special ID card, without which you would not be able to get a job, rent a car, fly, collect Social Security, enter a federal building, open a bank account, or take advantage of any government service.

Obamacare requires all U.S. citizens to receive a microchip or Medchip by March 23, 2013.  I tend to believe that the microchip or sign of the beast is going to be more of a secular thing.  People simply won't do it[,] so then what?  Medical care will go underground.  But then what happens when the banking industry requires it?

Obama's National ID Card.  "Your papers, please."  As a kid, I heard radio shows where someone with a German accent would ask this.  Now it's coming to America.  Only worse.  There won't be papers.  There will be a plastic card backed up by a data base with your vital information in it.

Obama Administration Reportedly Plans to Create Internet ID for All Americans.  White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt told the website it is "the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government" to centralize efforts toward creating an "identity ecosystem" for the Internet.  The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace is currently being drafted by the Obama administration and will be released by the president in a few months.

Obama's Internet passport.  Federalized security screening at airports has been such a success that President Obama wants to apply the same government "expertise" to the realm of online commerce and commentary.  The White House cybersecurity adviser joined Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Jan. 7 [2011] to announce what amounts to a national ID card for the Internet.

Obama administration moves forward with unique internet ID for Americans.  [T]hough details are still pretty scant, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, speaking at an event at the Stanford Institute, stressed that the new system would not be akin to a national ID card, or a government controlled system, but that it would enhance security and reduce the need for people to memorize dozens of passwords online.  Sorry, Locke, sounds like a national ID system to us.  Anyway, the Obama administration is currently drafting what it's dubbed the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, which is expected at the Department of Commerce in a few months.

Obama's National I.D. Card.  Shortly, all 50 States, under the directive of the Obama Administration's Department of Homeland Security, will be required to federalize their driver's licenses, effectively converting what was a uniquely, "local" state drivers' license into what amounts to a "National ID Card" — or, as some opponents to the concept during the Clinton years called it, "a United States Internal Passport."

Romney Proposes National ID Card.  On stage in Sioux City, Romney laid out for Republicans his plan for a national identification card system to distinguish between those here without permission and those legally permitted to live and work in the United States.  As an additional protection against encouraging further illegal entrance, Romney proposed an expansion of the E-Verify program, which requires employers to investigate the immigration status of potential workers.

The Bipartisan War on Liberty:  Mitt Romney considers it a problem that many foreign nationals enter America without a government permission slip.  His solution:  Force every U.S. resident to carry a biometric ID card.

House Republicans attempt to revive Real ID.  If you're a resident of one of at least 24 states including Arizona, Georgia, and Washington, your driver's license may no longer be valid for boarding an airplane or entering federal buildings as of May 11, 2011.  That's the deadline that senior House Republicans are calling on the Obama administration to impose, saying states must be required to comply with so-called Real ID rules creating a standardized digital identity card that critics have likened to a national ID.

GOP resurrecting RealID bugaboo.  If and when RealID takes full effect, anyone wishing to board a plane, enter a federal building (including a courthouse), or visit any federal government office to obtain a benefit (such as Social Security or veteran's benefits), and who fails to present a RealID-compliant driver's license, would be turned away.  Americans not only should encourage the Obama Administration to further postpone implementation of the RealID program, but demand it take steps to drive a stake through the heart of this unnecessary and privacy-invasive Act, so it cannot ever again rear its ugly head.

The Editor says...
Notice that the people who are pushing Real ID are the same people who are opposed to new laws requiring photo ID at the polls.

States Revise Rules on Driver's Licenses as National ID Approaches.  The last three states to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses — Washington, New Mexico and Utah — are now steeped in battles to revise their laws as a federal deadline approaches for all 50 states to issue identity cards that meet a new national standard.  States must be in compliance by May with the regulations laid out in the 2005 REAL ID Act.  The law, a recommendation of the Sept. 11 commission that investigated the 2001 terror attacks, creates a national security standard for state-issued identification cards to be used for purposes like boarding airplanes and entering federal buildings.

Obama's Internet passport.  Federalized security screening at airports has been such a success that President Obama wants to apply the same government "expertise" to the realm of online commerce and commentary.  The White House cybersecurity adviser joined Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Jan. 7 to announce what amounts to a national ID card for the Internet.

ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan.  Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants:  a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.

Your Papers, Please!  I recently received an e-mail from the St. Louis Association of Realtors detailing a new policy being implemented by the Missouri Real Estate Commission (the official governmental board regulating real estate practices).  In the next licensing period anyone licensed to sell or rent real estate will have to be fingerprinted and their fingerprints — along with a tougher background check — kept on file with both the state police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Of course, I will have to pony up $52.20 for this singular honor.  Granted, other states have had this provision, but why implement it in Missouri now?

Fingerprint Registry in Housing Bill.  Fingerprints are considered to be among the most personal of information, and fingerprint databases created and proposed in the name of national security have generated much debate.  Recently, "Server in the Sky" — a proposed international database of the fingerprints of suspected criminals and terrorists to be shared among the U.S., U.K. and Canada — has ignited a firestorm of controversy.  As have cavalier comments by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that fingerprints aren't "personal data."

Are Borrowers Next?  [Scroll down]  I have still not been able to find any debate or justification for it, but it seems now that fingerprint requirements are a simplistic way for polticians to argue that they are getting tough about a particular problem, even if it's questionable how much fingerprinting will contibute to solving the problem.  Some commenters were right to note that this is an issue concerning federalism as well as privacy.  Through the CNET story, comments on the blog, and e-mails I have received, I learned about other state fingerprint registries of questionable justification for various professions.

Democrats Push for National ID.  At least since 9/11, the Democrats have, if anything, been even worse than the Republicans in their push for a national ID.  I recall the Bush administration, very early on, dismissing this totalitarian idea, although Bush soon enough signed the Real ID Act into law, with the support of hawkish and anti-immigration conservatives.  But the establishment left is also a major threat on this front, and Democrats traditionally get a pass on civil liberties issues, whereas under Republicans there is more populist criticism of surveillance, police powers and the like.

Reality sets in for states on Real ID.  Like it or not — and many in the Obama administration don't — Real ID is coming to a driver's license near you.  Having failed to get Congress to revise the tough new security rules for state-issued licenses in the Real ID Act, the Department of Homeland Security says it is working out how to implement the law.  But critics fear Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to gut the intent of the legislation's authors.

The National Biometric ID Card:  The Mark of the Beast?  As technology grows more sophisticated and the government and its corporate allies further refine their methods of keeping tabs on the American people, those of us who treasure privacy increasingly find ourselves engaged in a struggle to maintain our freedoms in the midst of the modern surveillance state.  Just consider the many ways we're already being monitored and tracked:  through our Social Security numbers, bank accounts, purchases and electronic transactions; by way of our correspondence and communications devices -- email, phone calls and mobile phones; through chips implanted in our vehicles, identification documents, even our clothing.

National ID Card:  Here We Go Again.  As CNET reports, Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham recently proposed a new identity card for workers in an immigration reform bill.  Their proposal would require all U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who want jobs to obtain a "high-tech, fraud-proof Social Security card" with a unique biometric identifier.  Regional Social Security offices would have to issue cards with embedded biometric markers.

Dems spark alarm with call for national ID card.  A plan by Senate Democratic leaders to reform the nation's immigration laws ran into strong opposition from civil liberties defenders before lawmakers even unveiled it Thursday [4/29/2010].  Democratic leaders have proposed requiring every worker in the nation to carry a national identification card with biometric information, such as a fingerprint, within the next six years, according to a draft of the measure.

Obama & Co. Want National Biometric ID.  A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is teaming up with the Obama administration to legalize illegal immigrants and require biometric national ID cards for every American worker, prompting a swift and bipartisan backlash across the nation.  The proposal would unconstitutionally force nearly all Americans to obtain the new "tamper proof" Social Security cards while purporting to require that all employers purchase new $800 ID scanners.  It would also provide a "path to citizenship" for the estimated 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants currently living in America.

Uncle Sam Wants You to Have an Online ID.  The Identity Ecosystem would allow Americans to choose to obtain a single authenticated ID for online transactions.  Like a passport, this single ID could travel with them online and be used to access everything from e-mail, to online health records and banking information.  Furthermore, the Identity Ecosystem would only reveal the least amount of information necessary for each transaction.

The Editor says...
It is easy to predict how this will evolve into a national ID card:  If the online ID successfully identifies everyone (uniquely) on the internet, it will become mandatory for online transactions.  When it is accepted as proof of identification at pharmacies, it will become mandatory there, too.  Banks — ditto.  Once it becomes necessary for license renewal or income taxes, the adoption will be complete.

Civil liberties groups fight biometric IDs.  Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) published an article March 19 that outlined several principles they intend to include in immigration reform legislation, and described a requirement for biometric Social Security cards "to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs."  In response, the American Civil Liberties Union, American Libraries Association and about 40 other groups and individuals wrote to the White House officials and members of Congress on April 13 to urge them to reject a biometric national ID card because the groups claim it would invade privacy, allow for troubling government controls and be risky and expensive.

Democrats' Answer to Illegal Immigration is National ID.  [Scroll down]  The exact wording of the suggestion calls for "improved technology" that will assist ICE in determining eligibility for work in the U.S. While that sounds innocuous enough, later in the document, under the section entitled, "Ending Illegal Employment Through Biometric Employment Verification," [Senator Harry] Reid, et al, set forth their chilling scheme to require all Americans to carry a 21st Century version of the Social Security Card.  The national identification card will be embedded with biometric data detectable by federal agents.  Specifically, the Reid plan will mandate that within 18 months of the passage of immigration reform legislation, every American worker carry the "fraud-resistant, tamper-resistant, wear resistant, and machine-readable social security cards containing a photograph and an electronically coded micro-processing chip which possesses a unique biometric identifier for the authorized card-bearer."

Show me your papers.  All United States citizens may be required to carry a biometric I.D. card!  That's not Orwell's Big Brother speaking.  Rather Democrat Chuck Schumer (D- New York), and Republican Lindsay Graham (R- South Carolina) have devised new legislation to mandate that every worker carry a government I.D. card to prove his citizenship.  The card must be carried every day and may be checked by employers and any governmental authority upon request.

Is a biometric, national ID card an immigration game changer?  The Democrats' immigration-reform proposal (pdf) is 26 pages long.  Pages 8 through 18 are devoted to "ending illegal employment through biometric employment verification."

ACLU blasts national ID card proposal.  Civil liberties advocates decried a Democratic proposal that would require all workers in the United States to carry an ID card with biometric identifiers.

5 Problems with National ID Cards.  Reason #2:  An ID card system will lead to a slippery slope of surveillance and monitoring of citizens.  A national ID card system would not protect us from terrorism, but it would create a system of internal passports that would significantly diminish the freedom and privacy of law-abiding citizens.  Once put in place, it is exceedingly unlikely that such a system would be restricted to its original purpose.  Social Security numbers, for example, were originally intended to be used only to administer the retirement program.  But that limit has been routinely ignored and steadily abandoned over the past 50 years.

Senators push plan to require all U.S. citizens to carry worker ID cards.  There's more talk on Capitol Hill about requiring all U.S. citizens to carry a worker ID card before getting a job.  It's part of a major overhaul of immigration policy, and the plan could go before President Obama as soon as this week.

Immigration reform could lead to biometric Social Security card.  Two U.S. senators prominent in immigration reform efforts have proposed that all Americans be issued biometric Social Security cards, containing data from either a fingerprint or retinal scan to help employers determine whether the holder is legal.  In explaining the only current bipartisan reform proposal, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has called such a high-tech Social Security card "a linchpin" in efforts to win support in Congress for fixing an immigration enforcement system that many agree is broken.

Get ready for the know all, see all national ID card... plus, plus.  Obama and his administration want to know and control everything; namely us.  If given the chance, Obama and his crew will morph into place a national ID Card for Workers under the guise of repairing and responding to the Immigration problem.  Now, the push is on to quickly create a biometric card, which would have embedded information, personal information and fingerprints.  Who cares about that old fossil... privacy rights.
[Superfluous ellipses in original]

Proposal Sets National Rules For State IDs.  Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) outlined legislation that would set national standards for state-issued driver's licenses, permitting rapid data-sharing among certain government agencies.  The measure marks Congress's first attempt at a comprehensive overhaul of state identification systems since [the 2001] terrorist attacks.

Administration Plans to Scale Back Real ID Law.  Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants to repeal and replace the controversial, $4 billion domestic security initiative known as Real ID, which calls for placing more secure licenses in the hands of 245 million Americans by 2017.  The new proposal, called Pass ID, would be cheaper, less rigorous and partly funded by federal grants, according to draft legislation that Napolitano's Senate allies plan to introduce as early as tomorrow [6/15/2009].

The DMV's No Smile Zone.  The DMV has always been the aboriginal's greatest fear realized.  Whereas natives formerly believed that when the Great White Bwana took their photo the camera also stole their soul; the DMV streamlines the process by crushing your soul without bothering with the photo.  My mental picture of the DMV has always been the crowd scene of the 1984 Apple Computer commercial:  gray people, gray clothing, gray surroundings.

After Long Delay, Regulations Issued for Flawed National ID Plan.  More than two years after Congress rushed through passage of the REAL ID Act, the Department of Homeland Security announced proposed regulations on March 1 that would turn the state driver's license into a national identity card.  The estimated cost of the plan could be as high as $23.1 billion, according to the federal government, and the national ID system will increase security risks as well as the threats to personal privacy.

REAL-ID:  speed-pass to slavery.  The government has no constitutional authority to gather this information unless a warrant has been issued by a judge after reviewing an affidavit showing probable cause of a crime; unless, of course, the information is given voluntarily.  So far, no one is "forced" to obtain an Enhanced Drivers' License, unless, of course, he wants to drive a car, board an airplane, or visit a federal building.

Virginia's General Assembly rejects REAL ID provisions.  The Virginia House and Senate have overwhelmingly passed legislation rejecting elements of the federal government's Real ID law, which requires states to issue federally mandated drivers' licenses or similar forms of identification that would become part of a national database.

REAL ID Expensive, Not Better.  Some security experts question whether licenses and documents compliant with REAL ID will be more effective than the existing state-run license systems.  As Timothy D. Ringgold, CEO of Defense Solutions, pointed out, some of the 9/11 hijackers had real drivers' licenses — they were who they said they were.  "The driver's license is a credible i.d. card and probably as good a system as we'll get," said Ringgold.

DHS and the Voter Identification Problem:  The new requirements include a digital photograph and a security measure within the cards to prevent counterfeiting.  Also, states must verify each applicant's personal information and legal status by comparing it against the Federal Social Security database and passport databases. … What was not included in the new regulations was a controversial provision to implant a computer chip which would store personal information in each driver's license.

National Governors Association (NGA) Backs National ID Card.  Limited government advocates, who have made significant progress in fighting the implementation of a national identification (ID) card, were recently bushwhacked by the National Governors Association (NGA) when the organization began a stealth lobbying effort to push the measure.

E-Verify and the Emerging Surveillance State.  The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made it illegal for employers to "knowingly" employ unauthorized workers, and E-Verify (then known as "Basic Pilot") grew out of the requirement for work-eligibility verification.  Since its inception the program has been voluntary for all businesses.  However, that's about to change.  In 2007, after the dramatic defeat of the illegal immigration amnesty bills, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced several changes to the E-Verify System.

On the other hand...
E-Verify:  Setting the Record Straight.  A new report on the voluntary E-Verify system shows a decent record at keeping more illegal aliens from taking American jobs.  That may not be what you read elsewhere, but that's the truth behind the spin being leveled against employment verification. ... Queries in this program give accurate responses 96 percent of the time.  Not bad for a government program.

Do we need a national ID card?  Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, members of the U.S. Congress took up the idea of requiring a national identity card; they did that again just before the 2004 election.  But there is news out of the United Kingdom that national ID cards may become mandatory by 2010. ... In the United Kingdom, talk of a national ID card is linked to the establishment of a national biometric identity database.  Within two years, all U.K. citizens renewing their passports will be required to submit biometric information.  While they may opt out of receiving an actual ID card until 2010, the biometric data will still be collected.

Biometrics Pinned to Social Security Cards.  The Social Security card faces its first major upgrade in 70 years under two immigration-reform proposals slated for debate this week that would add biometric information to the card and finally complete its slow metamorphosis into a national ID.

Real-ID:  Costs and Benefits.  Most Americans have been and continue to be opposed to a national ID card.  Even just after 9/11, polls showed a bare majority (51%) in favor — and that quickly became a minority opinion again.  As such, both political parties came out against the card, which meant that the only way it could become law was to sneak it through.  Republican Cong. F. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin did just that.

3 states told to comply with ID rule.  Millions of residents of three states will soon face tougher and longer screening at airport checkpoints if their governors defy a federal law requiring new, more-secure driver's licenses.  Maine, New Hampshire and South Carolina have until March 31 to say whether they plan to comply with the law, which they say is costly and will inconvenience residents by forcing them to get new licenses.

More on REAL ID.  In March, the Department of Homeland Security released its long-awaited guidance document regarding national implementation of the Real ID program, as part of its post-9/11 national security initiatives.  It is perhaps quite telling that despite bipartisan opposition, Real ID was buried in a 2005 "must-pass" military spending bill and enacted into law without public debate or congressional hearings.

Real ID game of chicken:  In recent remarks about carrying out the 2005 Real ID Act, Mr. Chertoff put state governments and American citizens alike on notice that no opposition would be tolerated in complying with the mandates of the federal law, even if it means citizens of those states expressing concerns about the law's provisions will be unable to board commercial aircraft.  While disingenuously professing no desire to "punish" citizens because the government of the state in which they live might not be ready to jump onto the federal government's Real ID bandwagon, Mr. Chertoff said this was precisely what the department would do.

REAL ID Implementation Slow in States.  With the federal deadline for issuing drivers' licenses that meet the criteria of the REAL ID Act of 2005 barely five months away, few if any states appear ready to comply.  Seventeen states have passed legislation that specifically prevents them from complying with what many are calling a de facto "national ID" law.  As of press time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had yet to issue final REAL ID technical rules.

States Resist REAL ID Implementation.  Opponents of REAL ID cite two main problems:  privacy and financial issues.  For certain states, the privacy implications are paramount.  "The very idea that Americans would need an ID card to travel around their own country is a huge privacy issue," said New Hampshire State Rep. Joel Winters (D-Manchester).  For other states, cost issues drive opposition.  "State leaders got serious about privacy when they saw the cost of REAL ID compliance," said Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute and a member of DHS's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. … He points out his state was offered a $3 million grant to test REAL ID and turned it down.

Oppose REAL ID and "no work list" in immigration bill.  The current debate on immigration reform in the U.S. Senate has been highly secretive.  The text of the bill has still not been officially released, though it has been leaked, and the mainstream media reports have been largely superficial.  Did you know that this bill would reinstate the REAL ID card, which has already been rejected by fifteen states?  Indeed, the legislation makes it impossible for Americans to work without either a national REAL ID card or U.S. passport.

Real ID Dropouts Leave Security Holes.  Defying Uncle Sam, four states have passed laws refusing to comply with federal rules to make state-issued driver's licenses more secure, casting further doubt on the future of the 2005 Real ID Act.  Although it is rare for states to reject an act of Congress, New Hampshire and Oklahoma in May joined Montana and Washington state in passing statutes this year refusing to go along with Real ID.  The refusals mean those states' driver's licenses eventually won't be accepted as official identification when boarding airplanes or federal buildings.

Minnesota and Alaska Legislatures Reject Real ID.  In May Minnesota and Alaska became the eighth and ninth states whose legislatures have rejected Real ID, joining Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Washington.  A dozen more states have approved resolutions calling for the costs of the Real ID program to be fully covered by Congress or the act repealed.

California Goes Too Easy on Real ID Act.  New Hampshire, on the other hand, is kicking up a storm warning of big brother and what some consider "the mark of the beast."  In March, the New Hampshire House passed a bill barring the state from taking part in Real ID, rejecting it as a de facto national ID system.  Testifying at a hearing on the issue, the Cato Institute's Jim Harper said, "Americans and New Hampshirites should be free to go about their lawful business without being asked to identify themselves at government checkpoints.  We are increasingly seeing this freedom restricted."

Feds Try To Tighten Driver's License Rules.  Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years under ambitious post-9/11 security rules to be unveiled Friday [1/11/2007] by federal officials.  The Homeland Security Department has spent years crafting the final regulations for the REAL ID Act, a law designed to make it harder for terrorists, illegal immigrants and con artists to get government-issued identification.  The effort once envisioned to take effect in 2008 has been pushed back in the hopes of winning over skeptical state officials.

Court to decide if illegal immigrants' use of Social Security numbers is ID theft.  The Supreme Court agreed Monday [10/20/2008] to decide whether people picked up on immigration violations also can face charges of identity theft if they use Social Security and other identification numbers that belong to others.  Federal appeals courts have split over whether the defendant must know that the phony ID numbers belong to a real person and the court said it will resolve the question.

REAL ID Implementation Delayed.  The Department of Homeland Security rolled out its final regulations Friday [1/18/2008] for the REAL ID program and delayed the deadlines for states to comply with the law.  Critics, however, say the law cannot be implemented effectively and should be abandoned.

REAL ID timeline.

REAL ID:  A Real Good Idea.  Driver's licenses and state IDs are not party favors for guests, but privileges extended to citizens and permanent legal residents, no matter where they came from or what religion they practice.

Some States Welcome National ID.  Even as rebellion grows in some state capitals against the looming Real ID mandate from Congress, proponents speaking Thursday [2/8/2007] on a panel at the RSA Conference could barely contain their enthusiasm for putting standard government-issued ID cards in the hands of all citizens.

On the other hand...
"Real ID" — Real Rebellion Brewing.  Last month, Maine became the first state to pass legislation declining participation in the national ID system mandated by the Real ID Act of 2005.  State-level legislation either repudiating Real ID, asking Congress to repeal its worst privacy-violating provisions, or asking for a delay while states study the issue, exists in various stages [in several states]. … In other words, a state-led rebellion against Real ID is brewing.

Rebellion Growing as States Challenge a Federal Law to Standardize Driver's Licenses.  Opposition among state officials is turning into an open revolt against a federal law calling for the creation of standardized driver's licenses nationwide that are meant to be less vulnerable to fraud.  Maine legislators started off the rebellion late last month by passing a nonbinding resolution that rejected the law, called the Real ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005.

34 States Align Against National I.D. Card.  A revolt against a national driver's license, begun in Maine last month, is quickly spreading to other states.  The Maine Legislature on Jan. 26 overwhelmingly passed a resolution objecting to the Real ID Act of 2005.  The federal law sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.

Pushing National IDs:  [Scroll down] Under this new program it won't be the names of terrorists or suspected terrorists that inhabit the new, gargantuan federal database; it will be the names and personal information of ordinary law-abiding Americans.  The measure in question is the Real ID Act, which creates a de facto national ID for all Americans by requiring states to both issue licenses that conform to federal Department of Homeland Security guidelines and to link state driver's-license databases together in a massive new federally administered database.

N.H. Backs Real ID Ban.  Calling the federal Real ID Act "repugnant" to the state and federal constitutions, New Hampshire lawmakers have voted to join other states in rejecting the federal Real ID Act as tantamount to requiring a national ID card.

Governor to sign bill to block Real ID plan.  Gov. John Baldacci [of Maine] is expected to sign a bill prohibiting Maine from implementing Real ID, the national identity card system that's been vilified by critics as unworkable and too expensive, a spokesman said Wednesday [6/6/2007].

Social Security card to be national ID.  Two proposals being floated around Capitol Hill call for the Social Security card to be updated with biometric information and for U.S. employers to be required to verify it with the Department of Homeland Security when hiring.  Scared yet?  You should be.  While everyone was off fighting the REAL ID battle, national identification proponents were sneaking in the back door, arguing that the Social Security card should be updated with the latest technology to prevent illegal immigrants from working.

Real ID Dropouts Leave Security Holes.  Defying Uncle Sam, four states have passed laws refusing to comply with federal rules to make state-issued driver's licenses more secure, casting further doubt on the future of the 2005 Real ID Act.  Although it is rare for states to reject an act of Congress, New Hampshire and Oklahoma in May joined Montana and Washington state in passing statutes this year refusing to go along with Real ID.

New Hampshire can stop the coming federal police state.  The New Hampshire Senate will soon vote on what might be the most important bill to protect our freedoms in many years.  House Bill 1582, which the House overwhelmingly passed last month, would preclude New Hampshire from participating in the REAL ID Act, a federal law passed last year establishing a de facto national ID card.

To get the opposing viewpoint on the Real ID Act, visit the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License.

Speaking of opposing viewpoints...
The Real Importance of REAL ID.  Billions of dollars is (sic) lost each year due to identity theft, the fraudulent obtaining of government benefits, and other criminal activities. … Any costs involved in implementing reasonably secure standard identification cards will be more than recouped by the contribution that secure IDs make to facilitating travel and commerce while combating criminal exploitation of the freedoms of a free society.

Group warns bill contains national ID.  An umbrella organization of dozens of groups that monitor legislation affecting civil liberties says a new immigration-reform measure contains a provision that could lead to de facto establishment of a national identification scheme.  Officials with Liberty Coalition say the bill, called the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act," ominously "creates a dangerous new national identity database system and firmly establishes the predicate for a new national ID card system."

ID card trials to start next week.  Trials of identity cards are to be launched next week, the BBC has learnt.

Illegal immigrants with state IDs arrested at CIM.  Three illegal immigrants with state-issued identification cards were arrested last week at the California Institution for Men, officials said Tuesday [4/12/2005]. … One was under a "final order," meaning he had been ordered deported but had never left the country.  Despite this, all three men were able to enter the prison with state-issued identification.

Citizen of the Republic:  The National ID Card Debate (Abstract)

Bruce Schneier on National ID Cards:  My primary objection isn't the totalitarian potential of national IDs, nor the likelihood that they'll create a whole immense new class of social and economic dislocations.  Nor is it the opportunities they will create for colossal boondoggles by government contractors.  My objection to the national ID card, at least for the purposes of this essay, is much simpler.  It won't work.  It won't make us more secure.

Campaigns of Opposition to ID Card Schemes:  Proposals for identity (ID) cards have provoked public outrage and political division in several countries.  In this paper Simon Davies analyses the key elements of public opposition to ID Card schemes, and profiles the massive 1987 Australian campaign against a national ID card.

National ID FAQs:  Such a card has three characteristics:  1) All citizens and residents "of a given jurisdiction" must have it.  2) All who have it must carry it, and present it upon request by authorities.  (Even when there is no specific evidence that a crime has been committed or a regulation violated.)  Finally, the card must be linked to a database with other information about the person.

Establishing a National ID Card:  Definition and Debate [PDF]

What's Our National Identity?  A National ID card is not really about identity.  It is about authorization.  A modern National ID System will require Americans to obtain federal government authorization to travel, work, rent or buy housing, obtain medical care, use financial services, and make many purchases.  This federal authorization could be denied for many reasons including database errors, a suspicious transaction profile, being a deadbeat parent, failure to pay taxes or fines, and any other social control measures Congress wishes to hang on the system.

National I.D.:  At first it will be no big deal, carry the card if you want to or decline to have the card.  Later you will need the card to buy gasoline for your car as gasoline will considered a dangerous weapon that can be used by terrorists.  After that you will need the card for medical services.  Soon all credit cards will be "attached" to it, so if you desire to charge anything, you have to have the card.  All of your medical, dental, driving, arrest, and education records will be on the card.

"We Don't Need No Stinkin' National ID Card…"  In February [2002], the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) began lobbying Congress for $100 million plus federal legislation for a plan to nationalize and standardize the state-issued driver's license and link up databases across the country.  In other words, to create a national ID card.

Statement for the Government Reform Committee Hearing on National ID Card Proposals by Congressman Ron Paul, MD.  [N]ational ID cards are a trademark of totalitarianism that contribute nothing to the security of the American people.  I therefore urge my colleagues to reject all proposals for a national ID, and focus instead on measures that will effectively protect both security and liberty.

National ID System Fails the "Duck Test":  If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a DUCK!  The push for a national identification system is in full swing by state driver's license bureaucrats.

Video:  U.S. to use national ID cards?

Do we need a national ID plan?  A recent White House proposal says federal agencies should "coordinate suggested minimum standards for state driver's licenses."  Here is their leverage:  The federal government hands billions of dollars a year in transportation cash to the states.  There has already been talk in Congress about tying money for highways to the introduction of ID standards.

National Identification Systems:  A Solution in Search of a Problem.  The EFF views impending moves towards a National ID system with alarm.  Public officials, in their zeal to appear to be doing something about terrorism post 9-11, are sending us on a perilous course into a future in which every movement and transaction is subject to monitoring and surveillance.

Who Goes There?  Authentication Through the Lens of Privacy.  This report explores authentication technologies (including passwords, PKI, biometrics, etc.) and their implications for the privacy of the individuals being authenticated.  As authentication becomes ever more ubiquitous, understanding its interplay with privacy is vital.  The report examines numerous concepts, including authentication, authorization, identification, privacy, and security.

Finding 6.5: State-issued driver's licenses are a de facto nationwide identity system. They are widely accepted for transactions that require a form of government-issued photo ID.

Finding 6.6: Nationwide identity systems by definition create a widespread and widely used form of identification, which could easily result in inappropriate linkages among nominally independent databases.

Coalition letter to members of Congress opposing National ID.  [PDF]

Privacy International's National ID Card FAQ Page

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About a National ID Card, But Were Afraid To Ask

We Must Not Give in to a National ID:  Calls for a national identification number have sounded with alarming frequency since terrorists bombed the World Trade Center on September 11 [2001].  Members of Congress and government officials insist that a national ID system can protect citizens, and the American public appears all too willing to relinquish its civil liberties for a superficial sense of security.

ID Nation:  The wrong way to go.  If a national ID card system had been in place years ago, and if all the new security measures now in place at America's airports had been in effect on September 11, those 19 men would still have been able to board their flights and carry out their plan.  They jumped through every hoop they needed to in order to commit their barbarous crime.  It is inconceivable that they wouldn't have somehow obtained national ID cards if such cards had been required to obtain their airline tickets.

A National Identification System:  Testimony (against it) by Stephen Moore, an economist at the Cato Institute.

A Libertarian Conservative Case Against Identity Cards

National ID — Our Line in the Sand:  National ID isn't a new idea.  American politicians and bureaucrats have been proposing it since the Great Depression.  "Infallible" national ID has been proposed over the years as a means of fighting communism, illegal immigration, crime, census undercounting, terrorism, welfare fraud, and a variety of other disasters du jour.  If we accept national ID, we'll all have a problem.  We won't be one bit safer from violence.  And we will have crossed a crucial line that forever divides the free from the unfree.

Reckless ID card plan will destroy nation's freedom:  The Government has embarked on its most reckless policy to date in pursuing the idea of national identity cards.  The initiative will fundamentally change the nature of government and the character of the nation.  This is inevitable because the modern ID card is no simple piece of plastic.  It is the visible component of a web of interactive technology that fuses the most intimate characteristics of the individual with the machinery of state.

Campaigns of opposition to ID card schemes:  Proposals for identity (ID) cards have provoked public outrage and political division in several countries.  In this paper Simon Davies analyses the key elements of public opposition to ID Card schemes, and profiles the massive 1987 Australian campaign against a national ID card.

Too late to stop national ID:  It has long since been understood that safeguarding our freedom requires limiting the government's access to personal information.  Where a legitimate purpose is served, government agencies have been allowed to accumulate limited information for specific purposes.  Over the past decade a dramatic shift has taken place.  The government has developed the ability to accumulate the maximum amount of information and provided central access to an army of low level bureaucrats.  All signs indicate that this is just a beginning.

Government Trade Group Promoting National ID Cards:  A government trade association Monday [1/14/2002] called for a national, standardized identification system based on state-issued drivers' licenses.

Democrat Group Backs "Smart IDs":  A Democrat policy group said Friday [1/18/2002] that domestic terrorism could best be fought by using more information technology, including computer chips embedded in driver's licenses and more sharing of data between law enforcement agencies.

National ID Cards:  New Technologies, Same Bad Idea.

National ID System on Horizon?  The United States may be closer to issuing national ID than many think.

Show your papers:  Looking for something -- anything -- to prevent repetitions of the savage attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, some politicians have turned to a favorite nostrum:  national ID cards.  Schemes to stuff wallets with standardized identification documents have emerged in the past as a proposed solution to illegal immigration; terrorism is just the latest motive for tagging Americans like cattle on a ranch.  But as any college kid could testify, ID cards are hardly an insurmountable obstacle.

The National ID Card:  It's Baaack!:  We've certainly come a long way from the original purpose of the Social Security card.  When the system was created in 1935, individual workers were assigned numbers so that the Treasury could properly account for the contributions made to the Social Security fund.  To assuage the privacy concerns of American citizens, Congress insisted that the card would never be used for identification purposes.  Sixty years later, Congress is thinking about breaking that promise.  [Written September 23, 1997]

Expansive Police Powers Threaten Our Constitutional Rights:  Those who wrote our Constitution sought to ensure our freedoms by creating a document that protects our God-given rights at all times, even when we are engaged in war.  It is a document that has since been used as the model for so many other nations seeking freedom.  We must remember that it is how we conduct ourselves in times of peril and war that reflects the values we truly embody.  The ideals of freedom that have made this nation great — indeed, all the freedoms guaranteed in our Bill of Rights — are the same freedoms we must guard and protect at this critical time.

Libertarians Say Americans Should Reject National ID Card:  The Libertarian Party on Thursday [10/11/2001] criticized the idea of forcing Americans to carry a national identification card.  The party believes that such card would inconvenience ordinary Americans while international terrorists could simply forge one for themselves.

Group Urges Competition, Not ID Cards, To Improve Airline Security:  The National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group has labeled the Air Transport Association (an airline trade and lobbying group) as its "privacy villain of the week," because the ATA is pushing the federal government to create a new federal database of air travelers for the sake of security.

ID Card:  The Password to the Police State.  The current attempt to inflict Americans with the burden of having to carry a national ID card did not begin on 9-11 and, indeed, is unrelated to it.  The attack on the World Trade Center is just a convenient excuse to promote this thoroughly un-American idea.

Liberty Is Not A Plastic I.D. Card:  There is no time ever when Americans should surrender their liberty to the constant surveillance by the government.  It is quintessentially un-American.

Pushing papers:  ID cards not only destroy our anonymity, they also make identity theft easier.

Against ID Cards:  The worst way to fight terrorism.

National I.D. Card:  That Irresistible Urge to Control.

Mandatory National ID Cards …for Our Politicians:  I think ID cards are a great idea — every politician should carry one.  Crisis is good for statist-leaning governments such as ours because it affords them the opportunity to package new oppressions under the guise of needed security.  Lately, we've been treated to the idea of a national ID card so our police can tell good guys from bad ones.  Such a system will never, of course, be abused.  Like all government programs it will be competently and economically implemented, and will, in fact, produce the desired results because it's not motivated by profit.  Indeed, it will be anti-profit in nature, like most government programs, making it more virtuous still.  And thankfully, it will be a cinch to implement, especially if we behave ourselves and don't blather on about erosion of our rights and other such irrelevancies.

Talk of National ID Card Increases:  Increased talk about the possibility of a national identification card is drawing increased fire from privacy advocates.  Discussions about an ID card began to re-percolate following the September 11 attack on the United States, with several Members of Congress saying the issue was one that merits fresh consideration as the nation looks for ways to improve national security from terrorist attacks like those on New York and Washington, D.C.

NO National ID Card — Not Now, Not Ever.

Identity Crisis:  How Identification Is Overused and Misunderstood.  Does an increase in identification really lead to increased security or an invasion of privacy?

Cattle are tagged for the benefit of the farmer, not the cows.