bluntman
Posts: 301
Joined: 8/12/2006
Status: online
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Guess this is for our own good too
REAL ID Equals Real Problems for Real People
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. . .” These venerated words from the Declaration of Independence remind us of every American’s sacred rights. Among these rights, the constitutions of both the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania guarantee that their citizens will be “secure in their persons.” However, in 2005, the President signed into law a piece of legislation embedded with significant consequences for the personal security of every American. Although touted as an anti-terrorism measure, in truth the REAL ID Act of 2005 breaches the Constitutional guarantee of every American citizen to be “secure in his person.” With the REAL ID Act, the Federal government mandated several far-reaching changes in a state’s driver’s license issuing process. The process must be standardized across the fifty states according to certain Federal regulations. Within these regulations lie the perils to individual citizens. These dangers are easily divided into the following three categories: data included on the card, access to the card’s information, and purpose of the card. The data on a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license will include seemingly standard information such as a person’s full legal name, home address, gender, date of birth, Social Security number, and digital photograph. Most significant, however, is the central addition – an invasive new form of photograph referred to as facial recognition. Significantly, this form of sensitive and personal biometrics reflects the standards established by the ICAO, an international body and a private organization. Indeed, this new photograph captures far more than meets the eye, directly conflicting with every citizen’s Constitutional right of security. Neither the Federal, nor the state government has a sufficient compelling interest to violate the rights guaranteed to every citizen, by requiring the forfeiture of any personal biometric information whether it is fingerprints, eye scan, or DNA. If the government collecting your biometric data is not disturbing enough, then consider the next step of government surveillance. Technology currently exists that could tell Big Brother, by your biometrics, exactly where you go and when you go there. Additionally, a chip readable by radio waves could easily be inserted into the card, effectively allowing the government to track your movements. While this possibility may seem remote, in reality, the technology has been created, and the REAL ID Act moves us one big step closer to global identification and tracking. Who has access to all of this personal information? By January of 2011, if not before, every state database will be linked together by law, providing access far beyond the state DMV. Also, some of your information will be machine readable by a barcode on the back of your license. Encryption is optional, thus allowing “skimming” of some of your personal information. In fact, according to the final rules issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “The REAL ID Act does not provide DHS with authority to prohibit third party private-sector uses of the information stored on each REAL ID card.” For example, if Pennsylvania fails to pass laws regarding the protection of your information, then private parties, such as retail establishments, are welcome to it. If this massive amount of data is compromised, identity theft becomes remarkably easier since your personal information and biometrics are conveniently located in one place. Again, the lack of sufficient security measures makes this card a threat to the security of person guaranteed to each citizen. Finally, the card’s purpose far exceeds merely securing individual licenses on a national level. With international biometric standards, access across the nation, cooperation between multiple countries, and machine readable technology, this card in reality becomes an international identification card. DHS admitted it does not have the authority “to issue restrictions on who may or may not use REAL ID cards.” This fact reveals the strong likelihood that other countries will regard the REAL ID card as an international ID, as is already the case through agreements with Mexico and Canada.
Because the REAL ID Act poses real, significant dangers to your constitutional freedoms and privacy, it must be immediately and effectively opposed. If we fail to act now, the machinery already set into motion will prove impossible to stop later. With the strongest REAL ID Repeal language introduced in the nation to date, immediate passage of H. B. 1351 will prohibit our state government from adopting this invasive measure - a critical step to preventing every Pennsylvania citizen from falling prey to unprecedented restrictions, identity theft, and surveillance capabilities afforded by this dangerous new form of personal identification.
Rep. Samuel Rohrer128th DistrictPennsylvania House of Representatives(610) 775-5130(717) 787-8550www.SamRohrer.com Contact: Ty McCauslinHouse Republican Public Relations
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Printable Version
RE: Warning to Anyone using Lampe Launch - 
