National Identification

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National Identification
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National Identification

• In post 9/11 times, congress has been moving
  towards a regulation on a set of standards that
  states must abide by when issuing a drivers
  license. This requires a verification of every
  applicants legal status in the country.
• This creates an infringement on the states
  rights, and is a big step towards a national ID
  system.
• This could be informal (federal standards that
  every state must meet) or an actual national ID
  system.

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National Identification

• Potential of National ID cards
• The minimum information on the cards
• name, birth date, sex, ID number, photograph,
  address
• Electronically readable
• Physical features to complicate reproduction.
• Attached money accounts.
• Needed to open bank accounts, fly, collect funds
  through government etc.

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National Identification

• What does this mean to us?
• Pros
• Incidents such as September 11 would possibly
  have been different if terrorist were recognized.
• Katrina. There are a lot of families that have
  been split up and unaccounted for. A national
  record of where people are through where they
  have swiped their cards would help reunite
  families, and give an accurate record of where
  missing peoples are.
• Security on a smaller crime basis. The times of
  peoples whereabouts could be known. This would
  give the court system an upper hand in providing
  justice.

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National Identification

• What does this mean to us?
• Cons
• Obvious infringement on privacy
• Possible documentation of where citizens were and
  when. Also possible records of purchases.
• Crash in the system. The whole nation could be
  in chaos.
• Inconveniences for a lost card. It would be a
  daily used function. Imagine loosing your One
  card and having to go through a vigorous timely
  process to get it renewed.
• Cost on the government and personal level.
• Implementing the machinery nationwide.
• Identity theft. If a way was found to reproduce
  these cards, it would be assumed that the card
  was legitimate. Possibly a false sense of
  security, not to mention a whole system being
  proved unreliable.

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Sources

• http//www.nytimes.com/2005/05/03/politics/03licen
  ses.html?ex1272772800enaeac30ecc5b8d1a5ei5090
  partnerrssuserlandemcrss
• http//news.com.com/FAQHowRealIDwillaffectyo
  u/2100-1028_3-5697111.html