REAL IDENTITY

This is a topic I hadn't thought about very much, but I think its an issue that deserves some attention. The REAL ID....where the government wants to know who you are, what you do, where you've been and where you are going.

According to Wiki: Each card must include, at a minimum, the person's full legal name, signature, date of birth, gender, driver's license or identification card number. It also includes a photograph of the person's face and the address of principal residence. It is required to have physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes. In North Carolina, these new security features include a hologram of a map of the entire North American continent.

"There is no law that says you have to have an Social Security Number, but without it, it is pretty much impossible to, get a job, open a bank account, travel etc…" - Read this article

"But that is not all! All of this information will be put into a GPS tracking chip that is inserted into the card. Now when you are pulled over or go to the airport all they have to do is swipe your card and they have all your information including where you have been." - Read this article

MORE INFORMATION
- The REAL ID blog
- Find out what your state is doing about the REAL ID.
- Watch a video about the ID card.
- If you are a REAL research fanatic then you'll probably enjoy this article (right click, 'save as' to download this PDF.)

REAL ID Act of 2005
"The public continues to debate the issue, and there have been many other proposals for the creation of a national identification system, some through the standardization of state driver's licenses. The debate remains in the international spotlight -- several nations are considering implementing such systems. The U.S. Congress has passed the REAL ID Act of 2005, which mandates federal requirements for driver's licenses. Critics argue that it would make driver's licenses into de facto national IDs. EPIC and others have called for the repeal of this ill-conceived national identification law." Read the full article

What is the Response?
"Five states and several members of Congress have rejected the scheme, which creates a massive national ID system without adequate security or privacy safeguards, which makes it more difficult and costly for people to get licenses, and which makes it easier for identity thieves to access the personal data of 245 million license and cardholders nationwide." Read more here.

Here is Oklahoma's response to the REAL ID act. (right click, 'save as' to download this PDF)