How Real ID Will Affect You
Talk about a Hot-Button issue. If you haven’t heard about Read ID, read on. It’s scary.
Starting three years from now, if you live or work in the United States, you’ll need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Practically speaking, your driver’s license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards.
washingtonydc from Digg.com had this to say:
The thing is, we’re not just talking about an unprecedented national ID card–which should be enough to give most Americans pause. We’re talking of a national database. While the FAQ, which is a bit out of date, did not delve into this too deeply, not only are states supposed to link your information to nation-wide system, but they’re supposed to archive the documents you present them. For example, if you show your passport or social security card as proof of identity in order to get a new license, the state keep a paper copy of it a minimum of seven years or an electronic copy for a minimum of ten years.
While this may not phase a lot of people, think about it for a minute. We’re creating this huge nation-wide database of all American identities that is easily readable (not only by the government, but by anyone with an RFID or barcode reader). This already makes it a boon for marketers, identity thieves, etc. But to top it all off, we’re going to archive everyone’s personal documents in state facilities. The same states that don’t even have the budget to enact this system–you think they’re going to be able to safeguard this data?
For more info, check out these video’s discussing Real ID:
