U.S. readies "reasonable" ID card rules after debate
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials said they would unveil on Friday reasonable and inexpensive national requirements to implement an identification-card program critics call a costly invasion of privacy.
The program, called Real ID, has been rejected by 17 states based on draft regulations. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he would announce on Friday revised rules that reflect state concerns.
"We have worked very closely with the states in terms of developing a plan that I think will be quite inexpensive, reasonable to implement and produce ... secure identification when drivers' licenses are presented," Chertoff said on Thursday to a panel of outside advisers to his department.
He gave no details, and the American Civil Liberties Union, which has sharply criticized the draft program, said it had no information on any revisions.
The U.S. Congress in 2005 passed a law calling for the national digital identification system. It is intended as a post-September 11 security measure to make more secure the state-issued driver's licenses that are a ubiquitous form of identification in the United States.
The licenses will be required for boarding a commercial flight and entering a federal facility or a nuclear power plant.
Under the program, states would be required to verify documents presented with license applications and to link their license databases into a national electronic network.
Critics say the program will amount to a national identification card -- which Americans have long opposed as a symbol of an overly powerful federal government -- and that the national network could compromise the privacy of the ID-card holders.
States have objected because they would bear the costs to implement the program.
Some 227 million people hold drivers' licenses or identity cards given out by U.S. states, which issue or renew about 70 million each year.
States are intended to begin issuing the new licenses by May of this year, but the Homeland Security Department says they will be able to file for an extension. Individuals are required to carry cards meeting the new standards by May 2013.
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2 February 2008 at 10:35 am From my sources it appears most nations, including New Zealand with Gold Cards already as one of these, are being pushed to adopt around 5-10 years approx from now, new digital ID systems in a global overhaul.
The excuse of a fix for the economies falling, possibly the idea to introduce a global one world currency and RFID data card may arise from this point.
To help persons with things that are already within reach, but forcing these things, like insurances and retirement contributions like other countries have already developed policies for, like the U.K, U.S.A and Australia.
This is not helping at all, prices are high as it is for such basic like housing, food and the new need of petroleum.
People work hard enough just to be broke and then the government takes more money away by force, like comparing voluntary payments of an automatic payment with tax and systematic direct debits and bank fees.
Kiwisaver has no guarantee's on getting your money back as a small note, and I'm not talking about the opt-out, I mean the investment disclaimer.
Considerations of a 'travel ID card' embedded with a chip interface, which interlinks data on public transport, if or should I say when nationalisation of public transport comes into effect in New Zealand, as desired by the system and merging such data from current drivers licence's.
I have already seen the council's in Auckland starting there surveying, mapping, videos and other plans towards this.
It would be fair to say at this point, a card for banking merged with insurance and kiwisaver long term if it doesn't completely fail in the short term is a reality they attempt to put into policy.
If one considers that the U.S.A will be close to, if not already, 'publicly' admitted as bankrupt well and truely by this time, digital cash and inventory of all persons such as there Social Security details, banking, insurance, tax, healthcare, firearms, drivers/car info will all be on file and restrictions will be put in place.
Welcome to the new world order -as it's commonly said.
Lastly on this, the U.S constitution already is eroded of freedoms and gun control is a forever brought up debate. we have seen here in New Zealand, freedom now costs and soon it will be under prohibition like the old days of slavery but in the public arena for purposes of 'peace and security', it's bullshit.
Quote: Truth and consent is the key to freedom.