REAL ID

I have sent several e-mails to DHS to protest the REAL ID system. For those of you that don't know, it is a system that will require more documentation to obtain a driver's license, and will store all of this information in a huge database that the Government will control and centralize. If you just did a shiver, congratulations you have a pulse and a brain. DHS announced today that they are pressing ahead with this, despite the opposition of several states. I urge everyone to send their comments to DHS at oscomments@dhs.gov with the docket number of DHS-2006-0030 in the subject. You can also check whether your state has, or is considering legislation against REAL ID at http://www.realnightmare.org/actioncenter/15/

My arguments against REAL ID are below.



It WILL NOT make us more secure.

The REAL ID can and will be forged, likely within hours, and the documents used to obtain one can be forged as well. None of the 9/11 hijackers, the Unibomber, or Tim McVeigh would have had any issues obtaining one, or they would have simply stolen the identity of someone else and obtained one. We should be spending money on awareness for security individuals at the airport so they can identify real security issues, and make sure there are solid procedures in place to prevent the breakdown of the physical protection systems.

Having a large database with all of this concentrated data in one location will make it much easier for an external hacker or an insider to obtain the data nicely in one location.


Identity does not equal security
Knowing who someone is, does not make it any easier to determine their intentions


There are more important issues we can spend money on that WILL make us more secure. Most of the arrests and "prevention of another terrorist attack" have been the result of good intelligence and good police work. We should instead spend our money on intelligence and our police departments.