Rfid Chip In Drivers License Ohio
Christine Link is the executive director of the ACLU of Ohio. She writes in opposition to enhanced driver's licenses.
Once upon a time, in the aftermath of 9/11, Congress passed the REAL ID Act. This federal law requires states to adopt new identification standards for drivers' licenses. While not trumpeted loudly, the idea is clearly to establish some sort of national ID system in the hopes terrorists will be caught before embarking on their next plot.
The problem for the federal government is the states hate it. Estimates for states to change the way they issue licenses are in the billions of dollars. Others rightly brought up privacy concerns – and this was before we learned the federal government spends its days sweeping up nearly every available detail about our lives.
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Some states are so opposed to REAL ID that they have passed their own laws forbidding compliance with it. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security keeps pushing back the implementation date. After all, how good is a national ID when states keep opting out?
Rfid Chip In Driver's License
But those of us who have followed this issue over the years know REAL ID is, at best, on life support. The federal government surely agrees, even if they cannot say so publicly. But this does not mean they have stopped trying.
The latest attempt to get skeptical states on board is called 'enhanced ID'. It would accomplish much the same thing as REAL ID by also requiring changes to our drivers' licenses and state-issued IDs. Download lagu ngaji qori mp3.
These enhanced IDs contain RFID technology, which are computer chips that hold enough information about card users to make traveling between Canada and Mexico more efficient. RFID technology is used for numerous purposes, from keeping track of boxes in warehouses to thwarting shoplifters. This technology has also been used in U.S. passports since 2006.
Given this technology's widespread use, what exactly is the problem with these enhanced IDs? Like many issues of this type, the problems are ones of security and privacy.
The same tools used to read these drivers' licenses at borders are also available to criminals. Indeed, RFID readers are inexpensive and easy to find. In the wrong hands, your identity can be compromised, your information put at risk. This differs from passports which, unlike enhanced IDs, encrypt information and prove less vulnerable to hacking at a distance.
Rfid In Driver's License
Not ones to engage in mere speculation, the ACLU of Northern California once proved its point by cloning the information found in the ID of a California lawmaker. It was then used to enter the state capitol building. That was back in 2006, a distant time in the world of technology.
The federal government counters by stating no personally identifiable information is contained in those RFID chips—yet. After all, we are talking about a federal government that tracks your bank transactions, web searches, and where your mail goes, among many other things.
Driver's License With Chip
Unfortunately, Ohio recently passed its own law to become the latest state with enhanced IDs. In doing so, we traded our privacy and security for the illusion of safety.