The Real ID Act Will Create a National ID Card

Under Real ID, people’s liberty would depend on possession of an ID card. Privacy would be sacrificed for the illusion of security. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims the Real ID Act only attempts to set minimum federal standards for the issuance and appearance of state driver’s licenses and identification cards, but it goes much further than this. It would create a network of government databases and electronic checkpoints that would, in effect, establish America’s first-ever national ID system.

Americans have long opposed a national ID system, believing that such systems run counter to democratic values of privacy and government by consent of the governed. Proponents of Real ID argue that the law does not establish a national ID system because states can participate voluntarily. This is disingenuous. If the law were fully implemented, having a Real ID would not be a mere matter of convenience; Americans would need them just to lead normal lives.

Real IDs will be required for “official purposes” which includes boarding airplanes and entering federal buildings, but the law places no limits on their potential uses. Federal officials have already suggested using Real IDs to regulate voting, immigration, employment, federal benefit programs, and even the sale of over-the-counter cold medicine.

The final regulations for implementing the law authorize states, local governments and the private sector to require Real IDs whenever and wherever they choose. Real IDs could become necessary to perform countless financial and commercial activities. People could be required to present and swipe their Real IDs to rent DVDs, ride mass transportation or buy groceries. The law requires that compliant driver’s licenses have an unencrypted “machine-readable zone.” Every swipe of the license would leave a digital fingerprint that the government and businesses could capture and compile into detailed lifestyle profiles of people’s activities.

Our personal information would be stored in a vast network of interlinking databases accessible to the federal government, 50 states and U.S. territories. Evidenced by the government’s hunger for Americans’ personal information, this national mega-database would invite government prying. It also would provide a treasure trove for identity thieves.

Americans should have right to come and go when and where they please without fear that their government is watching them. The Real ID Act contradicts American values.

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