A new breed of identification will be brought into the United States. Dubbed the "Real ID Act", the proposal has
cleared the senate unanimously, following a 261-161 vote in the House of Representitives. The act essentially involves the standardisation of ID cards across the country, and a nation-wide database constructed by all states linking their systems. These ID cards will likely replace drivers licences with an updated version that must be provided to "travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, enter federal buildings or take advantage of nearly any government service."
Predictably there was hysteria from many.
UnRealID.com alledges the card's introduction will
result in "Dead Cops, Stolen Identities, Government Spying and Unsafe Roads." Others are planning an
all-out assault on Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner's bid for reelection in 2006. The vitriol is of course spiked with tired old rhetoric, screaming that American's "privacy and civil liberties" are being taken away and that this day marks "the beginning of a struggle to restore our birthright." Please, spare me.
I give in principle support to the idea. The question is in the details and implementation, not in whether the concept is a good one. It will be useful in tracking the movements and activities of suspicious citizens, without impeding too much on the privacy of innocent citizens, a boon for law enforcement and intelligence agencies against terrorists and other criminals. However the technology obviously has to be approached and planned very carefully to minimise the adverse effects it will have on society. I reasonably good just-the-facts FAQ exists for interested readers, it explains many of the practical aspects that are public knowledge.
I think the ends justify the means here, so long as they proceed with caution.