The Proposed National ID Card: Your Passport to a Police State

Disingenuousness

The US government is attempting to create a National ID system under false pretenses. The most obvious method so far is the introduction of federal standards for the information carried on state driver's licenses. This is one of the many matters that are supposed to be left up to the individual state governments to decide, according to the Tenth Amendment.

Using environmentalism as leverage:
Every adult in Britain should be forced to carry 'carbon ration cards', say MPs. Every adult should be forced to use a 'carbon ration card' when they pay for petrol, airline tickets or household energy, MPs say. The influential Environmental Audit Committee says a personal carbon trading scheme is the best and fairest way of cutting Britain's CO2 emissions without penalising the poor. Under the scheme, everyone would be given an annual carbon allowance to use when buying oil, gas, electricity and flights.

Driver's license or national ID card? Motor vehicle agencies must link their databases together, and perhaps implant chips in driver's licenses, as necessary steps to ease the way for a national ID card, the head of a group of motor vehicle officials said Thursday [2/16/2006].

Dallas ISD faulted for using fake Social Security numbers. Years after being advised by a state agency to stop, the Dallas Independent School District continued to provide foreign citizens with fake Social Security numbers to get them on the payroll quickly. Some of the numbers were real Social Security numbers already assigned to people elsewhere. And in some cases, the state's educator certification office unknowingly used the bogus numbers to run criminal background checks on the new hires, most of whom were brought in to teach bilingual classes.

HR 418 – A National ID Bill Masquerading as Immigration Reform. The REAL ID Act establishes a national ID card by mandating that states include certain minimum identification standards on driver's licenses. It contains no limits on the government's power to impose additional standards. Indeed, it gives authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security to unilaterally add requirements as he sees fit. Supporters claim it is not a national ID because it is voluntary. However, any state that opts out will automatically make non-persons out of its citizens. The citizens of that state will be unable to have any dealings with the federal government because their ID will not be accepted. They will not be able to fly or to take a train. In essence, in the eyes of the federal government they will cease to exist. It is absurd to call this voluntary.

Drivers license, passport combine proposed. Michigan residents may get a first-of-its-kind driver's license that doubles as a passport.

The End of America: On Tuesday, May 10, 2005, America became a true police state. Your U.S. senators voted — unanimously, with no discussion, and without even reading the bill — to create a national ID card.

(That sounds like the way they passed the Patriot Act.)

Homeland Security accepts fake ID. The Department of Homeland Security allowed a man to enter its headquarters last week using a fake Matricula Consular card as identification, despite federal rules that say the Mexican-issued card is not valid ID at government buildings. Bruce DeCell, a retired New York City police officer, used his phony card — which lists his place of birth as "Tijuana, B.C." and his address as "123 Fraud Blvd." on an incorrectly spelled "Staton Island, N.Y." — to enter the building Wednesday for a meeting with DHS officials.

Outrage of the Week: Senate Unanimously Passes the "Real ID" Act. In a 100-0 vote, the U.S. Senate passed the 2nd largest supplemental spending bill in the history of the nation. If that were not enough reason to question the common sense of our legislators, the Republican and Democrat leaders also passed the Real ID Act which was hidden within the spending bill.

Not a Good Week. As I'm sure all of you have noticed, the last week or so has not been a good one for the rights of free people. Not only has the REAL ID act passed, but now those persons who claim to represent us are attempting to compel other countries to adopt similar measures, making their ID procedures compatible with the contemptable schemes of our elected ninnies. The effect of this is to create not just a national ID system, but in effect, a de facto world ID system.

House backs major shift to electronic IDs. The measure, called the Real ID Act, says that driver's licenses and other ID cards must include a digital photograph, anticounterfeiting features and undefined "machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements" that could include a magnetic strip or RFID tag. The Department of Homeland Security would be charged with drafting the details of the regulation.

Giuliani: America needs high-tech fence, ID card for foreigners. Rudy Giuliani said Friday the United States needs a technological fence and tamper-proof ID cards for foreigners in the country. … A single, tamper-proof ID card would prevent forgery and reduce illegal immigration, he said. "Every single person who is here from a foreign country should be required to have one," Giuliani said. "If they don't have one, they should be thrown out of the country."

The Editor says...
Let's think this through — since obviously Mr. Giuliani has not. There is no such thing as an ID card that is just for foreigners. The alien can just throw away the card and immediately he will be one of the locals. Obviously Mr. Giuliani's plan will result in everybody having to carry a National ID card, or they will be "thrown out of the country."

National ID cards: It's very likely that any national ID proposals that make it through will be labeled voluntary. That is, if you never plan to get a job, vote, travel, cash a check, open a bank account, go to the hospital, enroll in a public school, receive Medicare or other federal benefits, purchase insurance, or buy a gun, there'll be no real need to comply.

The Real ID Act: Real Problems. The new standards for State drivers' licenses and IDs must be implemented by the States over the next three years, because after May 11, 2008, "…a Federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a driver's license or identification card issued by a State to any person unless the State is meeting the requirements of this section." This means you will need a Federally-approved ID, not just for interacting with the Federal government (e.g., entering a Federal building), but for any situation where the Federal government demands you show an ID card (e.g., boarding an airplane).

Revamping Your Driver's License: Let's dispense with the mythology right up front. A driver's license has never been just about driving. When the first ones were issued in the early 1900s, the idea was to collect fees, not to test driving skills. More recently, revoking licenses became a way to punish people who didn't pay child support or, in Wisconsin, shovel snow off their walks. In its most coveted form, the license is proof of age — or of fraud, as the case may be.

National ID Card Draws Fire. New driver's license rules tucked in a military spending bill will create national identification cards for Americans and stick state governments with the bill, Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander said Tuesday [5/10/2005]. Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, joined Democrats and state officials in railing against the White House-backed driver's license rules and other immigration measures before the Senate approved the $82 billion spending bill 100-0.

Picture This: States Want Voters to Produce Photo IDs. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was supposed to end the practice of subjecting black voters to literacy tests, poll taxes and intimidation. But one civil rights leader said the use of photo identification requirements in some states is a giant step backwards.

Editor's Note: If the fifty states want to make voter registration cards with photographs (at considerable expense), that's up to them individually, according to the Tenth Amendment. But in this country, you don't have to own property (or drive a car) to be eligible to vote. So you should not be compelled to produce a driver's license to be allowed to vote.

Your papers please…. Each American already has a national ID card — it's called a Social Security card. The use of Social Security numbers for identification purposes was somewhat limited until 1962, when the Internal Revenue Service co-opted it for official taxpayer identification. Ten years later, the notice "For Social Security Purposes — Not For Identification" was removed from Social Security cards. Currently, SSNs are the most frequently used identifier in the U.S. They're required for credit and banking relations, employee files, academic records, licenses and certifications, medical records and health-insurance accounts, passports, and phone and utility accounts.

May I See Your Papers Please? The national ID scheme is being sold as a way to curb illegal immigration and to secure our country. However, the truth is the national ID cards will provide neither benefit to Americans. In three years, you will be required to have a federally issued ID card to travel on an airplane, establish a bank or brokerage account, collect government payments, or use any federally provided service.

The Office of Homeland Security's National Strategy: contains proposals for increased information sharing, biometric identification, and standardization of state driver's licenses. [PDF]

A National ID System: Big Brother's Solution to Illegal Immigration. Republicans in the House and Senate are moving quickly forward with Orwellian legislation that would create a national computerized registration system for all American workers. The new federal computer worker registry, which is intended to reduce illegal immigration, is the crucial first step toward the implementation of a national identification card system for all 120 million American workers. For the first time ever, employers would have to receive the government's permission to hire a new worker. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has even urged that the ID cards contain individuals' photographs, fingerprints, and even retina scans.

The Making of An American Horror Story: The truth is, the Moran-Davis bill has absolutely nothing to do with fighting terrorism. A national "smart driver's license" would be worthless in that effort. This bill has its roots deeply imbedded in an effort to establish a national ID card back in 1996.

Intel bill to institute national ID system? A Republican congressman is decrying the intelligence reform bill set to pass Congress today [12/8/2004], saying it creates a de facto national ID-card system. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, says by establishing standards for state driver's licenses on a federal level, the government is setting up a national system that's "not proper in a free society."

Patriot Act II Creates a National ID card. After a one-year study period, the Department of Homeland Security will mandate standards for all state driver's licenses, including "biometric ID provisions," which can include your fingerprints, retinal scans, and other biometric identifiers, such as your DNA. The new high-tech national ID cards will be required for boarding planes, cruise ships, and for driving a car. That means they can be used as Soviet-style internal passports, making anyone deemed "suspect" unable to travel in their own country.

Sponsors Try Sneaking National ID Card onto Iraq War/Tsunami Aid Bill. Under section 202(b) of H.R. 418 — slated to be added to the "supplemental appropriations bill" — the federal government gives itself the authority to determine every feature on your driver's license. Some features are explicitly listed, but these enumerated features are A MINIMUM. In addition to these, the government can require your fingerprints, your retina scan, your concealed carry status, or any other requirement it chooses — by executive fiat.

It's Here … The Federal ID card. Congress is currently debating House Resolution 4633 — the "Driver's License Modernization Act of 2002." This rather mundane-sounding bill isn't nearly as scary sounding as the PATRIOT Act and is only intended, "To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish standards for State programs for the issuance of drivers' licenses and identification cards, and for other purposes." At least they were honest right up front with the "and for other purposes" part.

How the Republicans Implemented the Democrats' National ID Plan: Under the "Contract With America," the Republican Congress enacted not one, but two national ID laws. The "Welfare Reform Act of 1996" and the "Illegal Immigration Reform Act of 1996" both included requirements which, in application, constitute a national identification system.

Constitutional Analysis of the "Driver's License Modernization Act of 2002" [PDF]

The "Not-So-Smart" Smart Driver's License Bill: Even though government officials apparently believe a terrorist attack cannot be prevented, legislators and government agencies continue to churn out policies to restrict, regulate and monitor the activities of Americans — all in the name of fighting terrorism.

Ex-Lawmakers Endorse National I.D. System: Three former Republican legislators call for state-run biometric smart card systems linked on a nationwide network. Just don't call it a national I.D. card.

Totalitarian Control: Standardized Driver's Licenses and Tracking Databases. In order to understand the overall objection to federal standardization of driver's licenses and to huge centralized databases, you must first understand the intended uses of such documents and databases.

New National I.D. Legislation Causes Uproar. The [Georgia] Driver's License Bureau told me today [1/13/2005] that they had merged with the Social Security Department this December, and that's why I can't get a driver's license. Social Security is federal and the Driver's License Bureau is state. How can they merge?

Just Say No to National I.D. Cards. The "Driver's License Modernization Act of 2002" is a $300 million federal takeover of State issued driver's license and ID card issuance and standards which would turn the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles into a satellite office of the federal Department of Transportation. Yep, the same folks who seize tweezers from little old ladies boarding airplanes would be in charge of the new national ID card.

National ID Card Proposal Still Stinks. Among other things, the Driver's License Modernization Act would federalize state driver's license issuance standards, link up even more government databases to the license, introduce the collection of bio-metric identifiers and open the door to yet more collecting of information on us by both government agencies and "authorized" private sector contractors. In other words, it would change the lawful purpose of the card from licensing qualified drivers to justifying and tracking our existence. Yet another expansion of the surveillance state.

National ID Card Is Now Federal Law. Buried at approximately page 650 of the new national Defense Bill, also known as Public Law 104-208, Part B, Title IV, the American public was given a national ID card. With no fanfare, no publicity and no scrutiny, the bill easily avoided the watchful eyes of even its most aggressive opponents.

Oppose Backdoor Attempts to Institute a National ID! One reaction to the terrible events of September 11 has been a renewed discussion about instituting a national ID card as a counter-terrorism measure. Direct passage of a national ID card, however, is only one possible path to such a system. A national ID is much more likely to evolve bureaucratically through existing forms of ID, such as state drivers' licenses.

The Road to a National ID Card: Bush Homeland Security proposal calls for Driver's License Standardization.

ID Cards Coming In The Back Door? Having had to retreat from legislative attempts to establish a national ID card through Social Security numbers or unique health care identifiers, Congress seems to be trying a new tack to implement this wholly un-American idea. Congress has suggested that the Department of Transportation develop "model guidelines for encoded data on driver's licenses."

A License to Live, Not Just Drive: The two basic keys to a national ID system are a unique identifier and linking databases. Driver's license standardization relies on these principles and achieves a national ID card through a bureaucratic back door.

Letter urging President Bush to resist the standardization of state drivers' licenses as a de facto national ID card system, Feb. 12, 2002.

Opposition to National ID System Grows: By compelling standardization of the issuance and content of driver's licenses, including additional immigration and biometric data fields, and obtaining legislative support for the implementation of its Driver Record Information Verification System (DRIVerS) to link state and national driver records, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) hopes to effect a nationally interoperable repository of drivers' personal information: a National ID system in all but name.

Modernizing the State Identification System: Fake ID cards are so common as to be almost a rite of passage for American teenagers. The industries that rely on the wildly unreliable identification system we have today have watched identity theft grow into a major industry. Worst of all, the ease with which criminals can obtain false identification documents in some states renders the entire system suspect, as possession of a valid driver's license is taken as unquestionable proof of identity for the distribution of other important identity documents — passports, social security cards, employee ID cards, and many more.

Editor's Note: The authors of the article above seem to be in favor of high-tech ID cards, as if that would be a permanent solution to the problems of forgery and abuse.

White House Interested in National Driver's Licenses: Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge for the first time has disclosed that the Bush administration is studying ways to set national standards for driver's licenses that would assist in preventing fraudulent identification and expose aliens who overstayed their visas.

National IDs: One way or the other.

ID cards will not stop the terrorist assault: In our legitimate and moral determination to win the war against terrorism, we must be careful not to sacrifice long-cherished liberties.

Driver's Licenses Could Serve as National IDs: While federal lawmakers kick around the idea of making national IDs mandatory for every U.S. citizen and legal immigrant, some states are already taking steps to use the most common form of identification among Americans, the driver's license, for that very purpose.

Your Papers, Please: The Social Security card virtually all Americans have was originally sold as a means solely to track our retirement "contributions," i.e., taxes. Indeed, the front of my card explicitly states that the card and number are "for social security and tax purposes — not for identification." Have you tried to cash a check lately without that number available for the teenaged store clerk to peruse? Try to get a credit card or a loan without it? File your taxes? Get a job?

Other countries' experiences

The United States isn't the first country to come up with the idea of identification papers for every citizen. Everyone carried identification papers when the Nazis ran Germany in the early 1940s. By all accounts, that was not fun — even for the people with the proper identification who had "nothing to hide." (And they lost the war anyway!) Even today many lessons can be learned from the experiences of people in other countries which have already adopted more modern National ID systems.

Get fingerprinted, then shop, says Venezuelan president. President Nicolas Maduro says a mandatory fingerprinting system is being implemented at grocery stores to combat food shortages by keeping people from buying too much of a single item.

Uganda begins national identification card project. For the first time since its independence in 1962, Uganda has undertaken a massive registration exercise to ensure every citizen in the east African country obtains a national identity card. The national identification cards, according to President Yoweri Museveni, will be digitised and is expected to bear the holders' photo, names, biometric details including fingerprints.

Mexico to become first country to use iris scans on ID cards. Mexico will on Monday [1/24/2011] become the first country to start using iris scans for identity cards, according to the government. The documents, which will include the eye's image as well as fingerprints, a photo and signature, will be 99 per cent reliable, according to Felipe Zamora, who is responsible for legal affairs at the Mexican interior ministry.

Identity cards scheme will be axed 'within 100 days'. The National Identity Card scheme will be abolished within 100 days with all cards becoming invalid, Home Secretary Theresa May has said. Legislation to axe the scheme will be the first put before parliament by the new government — with a target of it becoming law by August. The 15,000 people who voluntarily paid £30 for a card since the 2009 roll out in Manchester will not get a refund.

Years earlier...
Britain begins national identity card plan. Britain has begun a national identity card plan for some foreign nationals in an attempt to combat terrorism and identity fraud. Opponents say it represents a costly erosion of civil liberties. The program has been debated heatedly for several years.

Headline is posted exactly as it appears in the original:
ID Cards: A Vilel Abour Plot to End Our Liberty. The longer Labour remains in power the more the Government resembles a corrupt Eastern European regime of the Eighties. Our once free nation is being turned into the People's Socialist Republic of Britain, presided over by a sinister politburo which worships the power of the State. The imposition of the National Identity Scheme is one of the most alarming elements of Labour's programme for control over our lives.

Britain unveils new ID card amid criticism. Britain unveiled its new biometric identity card on Thursday [9/25/2008] which the government says will be vital in fighting illegal immigration and terrorism, while critics call it an expensive attack on civil liberties. The controversial multi-billion pound scheme, which involves one of the world's most ambitious biometric projects, will see ID cards used in Britain for the first time since they were abolished after World War Two.

UK's new identity card — with no sign of the union flag or mention of the word Britain. Instead, the credit card-sized plastic cards carried a picture of a bull — in common with other European Union identity cards — as well as five stars drawn from the stars on the official flag of the EU. The card is to be initially issued to people outside the EU renewing their permission to stay in the UK as students or on the basis of marriage.

First British ID card revealed. The design of the first UK ID card — for foreign nationals — has been unveiled by home secretary Jacqui Smith. Ms Smith revealed the designs of the first card at a press conference in central London. She told journalists the unveiling was a "mark of commitment" from the government to the controversial scheme, which will begin on November 25th. "Foreign nationals want to be able to prove they are living, working and studying [in the UK] legally," Ms Smith said. "[These cards] will also stop those wishing to illegally benefit from the privileges of living in Britain."

ID card design revealed by home secretary. The design of the UK's new identity card — to be issued from November, initially to foreign nationals — was revealed by the home secretary yesterday. Brandishing an example of the baby pink and pale blue polycarbonate document, Jacqui Smith promised it would combat identity theft, help prevent illegal immigration and enable people to prove their identity more easily. More than 50,000 cards are expected to be handed out to foreign nationals from outside Europe between November and March as they extend their visas and register marriages or civil partnerships.

Man dressed as The Joker gets ID card. A Dutchman dressed as the unpredictable master criminal The Joker from Batman managed to get himself a national ID card, despite supposedly stringent new rules which outlaw grins, funny faces, and head coverings from passport pics.

Britain to issue national ID cards. Britain will begin issuing national identity cards within months and target foreigners, airport staff and students in the first wave of the program, the government said yesterday [3/6/2008]. Foreign nationals will need to provide fingerprints and personal data for a database linked to the plan starting in November, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said. The program will cost an estimated $11.1 billion and involve the creation of a new national database, which will store a wide range of individual data.

Belgian biometric passport: A research team in cryptography [has] disclosed serious weaknesses in the Belgian biometric passport, the only type of passport distributed in Belgium since the end of 2004. The work carried out in Louvain-la-Neuve during the course of May 2007 show that Belgian passports issued between end 2004 and July 2006 do not include any security mechanism to protect the personal data embedded in the passport's microchip.

Don't want national ID? Surrender your passport. British citizens who refuse to provide personal details for the planned "voluntary" national identification card have been told they will be denied passports and be unable to leave the UK.

ID cards by the back door: The gist of this report is that the "National Entitlement Card" contains a concealed chip with lots of personal information, and may be part of a scheme by the British Government to introduce identity cards by stealth. The author, Stuart Hill, who lives in the Shetland Isles, has done his research, and this should not be dismissed as just another paranoid conspiracy theory.

Government photo-ID card for all Australians. Australians may soon be carrying a single photo-ID smartcard for all government welfare and Medicare transactions, with senior federal ministers close to embracing the concept despite likely costs of significantly more than $1 billion.

Leaked UK gov't doc reveals plan to "coerce" Brits into national ID register. Phil from the UK anti-ID-register group NO2ID sends in this nugget — note the call to action there. We've got a sensitive government document revealing the British government's plan to trick us into a database state and we need as many copies as possible, as quickly as possible!

[They seem to be talking about this document.]

Bolivia raises hackles with ID. The appearance of a Star of David on new national identity cards has alarmed opponents of President Evo Morales, who recall how the symbol was used to brand Jews in Nazi Germany. Tiny six-pointed stars within a tight circle are printed on the back side of some, but not all, recently issued picture IDs in the Santa Cruz region.

Pensioners will be ordered to give fingerprints. Millions of pensioners will be ordered to attend special centres to give their fingerprints and personal details to the authorities after the Government ruled nobody would be exempt from ID cards. The experience is likely to be bewildering for many elderly people, but those who refuse face being hit with heavy fines of up to £2,500 each.

Dutch to Open Electronic Files on Children. Starting in 2007 the Dutch will track all citizens "from cradle to grave in a single database." Each newborn will be issued a Citizens Service Number that will track every aspect of their life including education, health, and family life.

Britain's latest security bid: a national ID card. Britain's growing preoccupation with Big Brother surveillance is set to be transformed by government plans to issue identity cards. In a clear sign of a continuing post-9/11 concern for security, Prime Minister Tony Blair's cabinet served notice this week of its intention to introduce the high-tech cards, which will contain personal details and biometric data about individuals.

British web site: No2ID - Stop ID Cards and the Database State. An ID scheme won't stop terrorists. An ID scheme will not eliminate benefit fraud. An ID scheme will cost billions in taxpayers money. An ID scheme will mean your most intimate details will be controlled by the government forever. You will have to pay for an ID scheme out of your own pocket.

Brits Worried About National ID. The British are bridling over the prospect of a national biometric ID card experts say is "neither safe nor appropriate."

ID Cards Are de Rigueur Worldwide. In Greece and Argentina, being caught cardless in public could land you at the local precinct, where the police will attempt to establish your identity using other methods.

Why We Should Resist a National ID Card for Canada: The debate has to be about more than just cards. A national identification card would require an elaborate and complex national identity system, with a database, communications networks, card readers, millions of identification cards, and policies and procedures to address a myriad of security, privacy, manageability, and human factor considerations.

Judge opens hornet's nest with call for everyone's DNA to go on record. Putting the entire UK population on a DNA database — as called for by a senior judge — would carry a massive risk of error and intrude on privacy, Scotland's assistant information commissioner has warned. Ken Macdonald said the potential for error in extending the database must not be underestimated.

A Libertarian Conservative Case Against Identity Cards: It was identity cards that enabled the massacres in Rwanda. … It is identity cards that enable the Turkish authorities to persecute Kurdish pagans and separatists. Everyone in Turkey must by law carry a card at all times in public; and cards bear details of religion. … It is identity cards, together with residence and work permits, that allow the Chinese Government to maintain one of the most quietly bestial forms of rule that ever existed. Without the right documents, no one is allowed into the towns from the growing violence and stagnation of village life. Those who move illegally are called "the three withouts" – without a valid identity card, without a residence permit, and without a work permit – and are subject to immediate deportation if caught, and sometimes also to savage beatings.

Some Personal Views from Around the World: In 1994, in an attempt to discover the problems caused by ID cards, Privacy International compiled a survey containing reports from correspondents in forty countries. Amongst the gravest of problems reported to Privacy International was the over zealous use or misuse of ID cards by police - even where the cards were supposed to be voluntary.

British getting compulsory ID cards? Everyone in Britain will have to pay around £25 for a compulsory identity card under proposals being put to the cabinet by David Blunkett, the Home Secretary.

Japan launches national IDs: Japan launched a compulsory ID system on Monday [8/5/2002] in the face of stiff protests calling it a violation of privacy and a temptation to hackers. Opponents fear that something sinister is at work and that the new system gives authorities a tool to harass and silence critics.

The ANC's hi-tech Big Brother: While most Americans might think of South Africa's Zulu tribe as brave, spear-carrying warriors loyal to an ancient culture, its leader is overseeing the implementation of a futuristic, national "smart card" system that critics claim has Orwellian overtones.

Blunkett backs ID card plan: Everyone in the UK could be issued with a form of identity card, if proposals floated by Home Secretary David Blunkett become law. Introducing a six-month consultation period, he said he favored the introduction of so-called entitlement cards.

Britain Tests Compulsory National ID: Officials declined to be drawn into the format and content of the card, but industry sources and civil rights campaigners told UPI the card would certainly be devised as a "smart" card and could bear vital information ranging from personal details to health and tax records.

Small World: In Geneva, a United Nations gathering recently heard a proposal for registering, identifying, fingerprinting, and monitoring the movement of every human on our planet.

British National ID card ready after secret trial.

Swedish court to rule on school lunch fingerprinting. Hungry students at a school in Västerbotten in northern Sweden must give a fingerprint in order to eat in the school's cafeteria, a practice which bothers data privacy officials seeking to ban the measure. At the Lilja school in Vännäs, students must give a fingerprint accompanied by a four-digit code in order to receive a plate and enter the school's cafeteria.

Will the genie go back in the bottle?
Britain's new government moves to scrap ID cards. Britain's new government announced Thursday [5/27/2010] that its first major legislation will be a bill to scrap a controversial and costly plan to introduce national identification cards. "ID cards will be gone in a 100 days," Home Secretary Theresa May said at a news conference.

Other items yet to be categorized:

REAL ID Allows Feds to Suspend Driver's Licenses for "Cause". Thanks to Real-ID, DHS has created a national ID system right under everyone's noses. [Video clip]

Just Moseying Around in BHO Land. Last week when I went to peruse the shelves at Barnes & Noble and used my educator card for a purchase, I was asked to show a photo ID. The next day, when I went for a planned medical procedure, I was required to display a photo ID. And finally, when I cashed a check at the local A&P, the cashier requested to see some identification. Even at a local Goodwill store, I had to show a photo ID in order to buy an item. In addition, I needed to show my driver's license to get a new library card. It would be easier just to wear the ID around my neck; I am sure that will soon be coming as well.

Making the World Safe for Medicaid Fraud. Americans expect to show a photo ID when they board a plane, enter many office buildings, cash a check or even rent a video — but rarely in voting or applying for government benefits such as Medicaid. Many Democrats seem to view asking citizens for proof of identity as an invasion of privacy — though what's really being protected is the right to commit identity fraud. Exhibit A is Tuesday's 13 to 10 party-line vote in the Senate Finance Committee rejecting a proposal to require that immigrants prove their identity when signing up for federal health care programs.

State Department Prepares for Onslaught of Applications for Credit Card-Sized Passports. The government has introduced passport cards designed to speed border crossings by U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, and the State Department is preparing to handle an onslaught of up to 30 million applications as the deadline nears when Americans won't be able enter the country from Mexico or Canada without a passport.

Nominee Would Lead ID Program She Opposed. As governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for homeland security secretary, pledged that her state would not cooperate with a major domestic security initiative, the Real ID drivers' license program. The program, which she would direct if confirmed as secretary, imposes stringent requirements on states for confirming the identity and legal residency of people who want drivers' licenses.

Chips in official IDs raise privacy fears. Climbing into his Volvo, outfitted with a Matrics antenna and a Motorola reader he'd bought on eBay for $190, Chris Paget cruised the streets of San Francisco with this objective: To read the identity cards of strangers, wirelessly, without ever leaving his car. It took him 20 minutes to strike hacker's gold.

Everyone Shows ID for Beer in Tennessee. Comer Wilson hasn't had to show his ID to buy beer in a while. Maybe it's the 66-year-old man's long white beard. Starting Sunday, gray hair won't be good enough. Wilson and everyone else will be required to show identification before buying beer in Tennessee stores -- no matter how old the buyer appears. "It's the stupidest law I ever heard of," Wilson said. "You can see I'm over 21."

Border passport rule 'absolutely' begins in January, Homeland Security says. The new rule that anyone driving across the Canadian or Mexican borders must have a passport or passcard will "absolutely" begin in January, government officials said Friday [5/11/2007], refuting a New York senator's claim the plan will be delayed. Lawmakers from states along the northern border have been trying for months to stall or alter the plan to require the more secure identification documents, contending the rule will hurt trade and tourism.

ID Cards for Residents Pass a Vote in California. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has given preliminary approval to an ordinance allowing municipal identification cards to be issued to anyone living in the city, regardless of their legal status. The proposal passed the first of two required votes on Tuesday night [11/13/2007], putting San Francisco, with a population of 725,000, on track to become the largest city in the nation to issue identification cards to anyone who requests one and proves residence.

Mennonites Leaving Missouri Over Photo Law. The grocer, the butcher, a cabinet maker and several other members of the town's Mennonite community are planning to move to Arkansas over a Missouri requirement that all drivers be photographed if they want a license. The Mennonites — a plain-living sect whose members are similar to the Amish, but usually more worldly — say the 2004 law conflicts with the Biblical prohibition against the making of "graven images."

U.S. to Require Passports for Nearly Everyone. Nearly all air travelers entering the U.S. will be required to show passports beginning Jan. 23, including returning Americans and people from Canada and other nations in the Western Hemisphere. The date was disclosed Tuesday [11/21/2006] by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in an interview with The Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department plans to announce the change on Wednesday.

Bring your passport for travel after Jan. 23. The date was disclosed Tuesday by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in an interview with the Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department plans to announce the change today [11/22/2006]. Until now, the department had not set a specific date for instituting the passport requirement for air travelers, though the start had been expected to be around the beginning of the year. The requirement marks a change for Americans, Canadians, Bermudians and some Mexicans.

Passport set to be key to U.S. entry hemispherewide. All citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda will be required to present a passport to enter America when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere beginning Jan. 23, the Homeland Security and State departments announced yesterday. "The ability to misuse travel documents to enter this country opens the door for a terrorist to carry out an attack," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said.

[So does that mean that if I just go across the border to Juarez for a couple of hours, I have to produce a passport to get back across the border?

Homeland Security accepts fake ID. The Department of Homeland Security allowed a man to enter its headquarters last week using a fake Matricula Consular card as identification, despite federal rules that say the Mexican-issued card is not valid ID at government buildings. Bruce DeCell, a retired New York City police officer, used his phony card — which lists his place of birth as "Tijuana, B.C." and his address as "123 Fraud Blvd." on an incorrectly spelled "Staton Island, N.Y." — to enter the building Wednesday for a meeting with DHS officials.

EPIC Files Suit against Office of Homeland Security: EPIC filed suit [recently] against the Office of Homeland Security (OHS), seeking the expedited release of documents concerning the secret development of a government National identification system. [PDF file]

Excellent: EPIC's national ID card site: Numerous links to additional news articles.

Battle over instant background check: NRA, critics say "identity fraud" is not exclusively a gun issue.

Aliens Rush to Get IDs: The ease with which the leader of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks got a Florida driver's license has led to stricter requirements and long, unruly lines at license offices formed by non-citizens trying to beat the deadline.

Sellers of fake immigration documents dismiss call for new IDs. Luis Hernandez is laughing as he sells fake drivers licenses and Social Security cards to illegal immigrants near a park known for shady deals. The joke, to him, is the government's promise to put people like him out of business with a tamperproof ID card.

Virginia DMV fraud: The manager of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles office at the Springfield Mall was charged with selling at least 40 illicit licenses for up to $3,500 each.

The Oracle of National ID Cards: Congress isn't considering legislation on national ID cards, but the subject continues to bother civil libertarians who fear that it's only a matter of time.

National IDiocy: Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison's proposal has been given serious consideration, most notably by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has championed the ID card idea since 1995.

Bad Oracle: ID cards pick up steam.

National ID: Uncle Sam is watching you!

What War Has Wrought: Alan Dershowitz and the rise of totalitarian liberalism. The man who was once so vaingloriously solicitous of our "civil rights," a self-described "civil libertarian," is now proposing a national identification card which, he claims with characteristic hypocrisy, will actually "enhance civil liberties."

Social Security Numbers and Privacy: Many people have questions regarding social security and privacy. Keeping one's identity safe is a pressing issue in today's fast-paced, technologically-evolved environment. Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to ensure your social security information stays safe.

All Beverly Hills students soon may be required to prove their residency. The use of fraudulent addresses to enroll in the city's acclaimed schools is an age-old problem, according to officials with the Beverly Hills Unified School District who recounted these examples. But such deceptions soon may be harder to carry out under a proposed plan to recertify every family in the 4,900-student district and expel those who have been lying about where they live.

99-year-old Granny isn't the problem. I handed over my driver's licence and, as he had done with all the previous passengers, the Transportation Security Administration agent examined it. And examined it. And examined it some more. He had a loupe, one of those magnifying glasses jewellers use to examine diamonds for any surface blemishes or internal flaws. In this case, he was deploying it to examine how the ink lies on the paper. And when he'd finished doing that he got out his UV light to study the watermark on my licence. And, looking down at his bald patch as he went about his work with loving care, I was overcome by a sudden urge to point out that nobody had ever blown up a U.S. airliner with a fake driver's licence.

Uncle Sam Wants You to Have an Online ID. As our daily interactions and transactions have become increasingly "wired," we have yet to see any truly comprehensive attempts at securing online identities. Our complex system of usernames and passwords is astoundingly outdated and increasingly prone to security breaches and theft. Yet, so far it has been mostly up to the individual to protect himself against various forms of identity fraud -- with larger corporations taking relatively little responsibility.

Plan to accept Mexican ID draws fire. Durham's city council is getting an earful over a controversial plan to allow Mexican immigrants to use a special Mexican ID card for Mexican citizens living outside Mexico. If approved, Durham would be the first city in the country to accept the Matricula Consular. It's an identification card issued by the Government of Mexico through its consulate offices to Mexican citizens residing outside of Mexico regardless of their emigration status.

California city's ID card would double as debit card. A Northern California city is moving forward with plans for a municipal identification card that is being touted as the first in the nation that would double as a full-fledged debit card.

Oakland immigrant ID cards to work as debit cards. Oakland is poised to join a handful of cities in creating a municipal identification card that is touted primarily as a way for illegal immigrants to prove their identity. But unlike programs in other locales, Oakland's plan will be the first in the nation to create an alternative banking system for the poor, with the ID doubling as a full-service debit card.

UPS requires photo ID for shipping. UPS is stepping up security measures during the holiday season by expanding its requirement for the use of government-issued photo ID to verify customer identity. All customers who make a shipment through any retail location and do not have a pre-printed shipping label attached must show a photo ID, according to a statement from the company released Tuesday [12/7/2010].

The Editor says...
[1] This is being done in reaction to a bomb shipped from Yemen. Why not just require ID when shipping from Yemen, or better yet, stop doing business in Yemen? That would be obviously easier, except that American customers are willing to do whatever they're told. If Americans balked at the idea of presenting identification every time a dollar changes hands, then it would be much easier to cut off Yemen. [2] Perhaps the Yemen incident was just used as a pretense for a policy change that UPS wanted to make anyway.

Obama Administration Reportedly Plans to Create Internet ID for All Americans. President Obama is putting plans in motion to give the Commerce Department authority to create an Internet ID for all Americans, a White House official told CNET.com. 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.

Obama to hand Commerce Dept. authority over cybersecurity ID. 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.

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. 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.

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. Their plan is straightforward. Instead of logging onto Facebook or one's bank using separate passwords established with each individual company or website, the White House will take the lead in developing what it calls an "identity ecosystem" that will centralize personal information and credentials.

Student jailed for 2 nights when she can't show ID. News about the Police Department lately could run under the headline of the daily Dismal Development, starting with a judge declaring Tuesday that an officer was guilty of planting drugs on entirely innocent people and continuing back a few days to gun-smuggling, pepper-spraying and ticket-fixing. Here, in the pointless arrest of Ms. Zucker, is a crime that is not even on the books: the staggering waste of spirit, the squandering of public resources, the follies disguised as crime-fighting.

So much for freedom of expression.
New Jersey tells drivers: You can't smile too much in license photos. With its infamous long lines, going to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get your license is usually nothing to smile about. These days, it's a mandatory no-big-smiles policy in New Jersey, one of a growing list of states that tell drivers drivers to keep a poker face in their license photos.

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