Decius wrote:
] ] This Tuesday, the US Senate is scheduled to vote on the
] ] implementation of a national ID card system. The Real ID
] ] Act is nothing less than a Real National ID Act.
]
] Fresh from his somewhat kinda victory in the RFID passport
] debacle Bill Scannell is at it again on the national ID card.
]
]
] Now, the interesting thing about this proposal is that it is
] not vulnerable to the one security related objection I've
] heard for this, which is that if there is only one ID card you
] have to fake then all of the resources in the country devoted
] to faking IDs will be devoted to faking THAT id, and so
] everyone will be able to fake it very well, where as today
] people tend to fake a multitude of state IDs poorly. As each
] state will still have its own ID under this system, it won't
] create a single focal point for forgers.
]
] As all the state databases will be linked, the first thing
] that will occur is annoyances. People attempting to drink
] underage or dodge traffic tickets will find life more
] difficult. People with out of order paperwork may find
] themselves in jail, as a friend of mine did recently because
] his social security card has a different name then his drivers
] license. (Yes it was their mistake, and no they didn't really
] think twice about booking him anyway.)
]
] It is inevitable that all the data the government has about
] you is going to be connected, tied to your banking and medical
] records, and biometrically identified. Objections of the ACLU
] and the Conservative Christians aside, we are going to do
] this. It is only a matter of time. We do not understand why we
] shouldn't as we expect perfect law compliance. This is a step
] in that direction.
]
] This will be coupled with increasingly cheap and automated
] surveillance of public space. Ultimately, the IDs WILL go
] wireless so that they can easily be scanned by the government
] without having to approach a suspect. You already have a
] license plate, right? Ultimately the Supreme Court will
] concede that its not unconstitutional to require every person
] to carry such a card. That will be the last straw. I put it 40
] years out unless there is another major terrorist attack. I'd
] be willing to make a long bet on this.
]
] Its easy, its cheap, and it will make you safe. As law
] enforcement becomes perfect, the fairness of laws becomes
] vital. Our Mass Media driven government does not produce fair
] or reasonable law. It produces reactionary, fad and interest
] driven law.
]
] This is simply going to cause a lot of people a lot of pain,
] and I feel like complaining about it is pissing against the
] wind. I really think we're going to learn this the hard way.
] We ought to know better but we're gunna run right into this
] wall at full speed.

I'm in total agreement with you but have two facets I want to ask you about. First, I think this will happen faster than 40 years. I think it will take less than half of that and I'd be willing to bet on that as well. Secondly, I agree that it will cause significant pain and the moaning and growing will be centralized around "liberty" and "freedom" and other vaguries which will basically equate to "disregard for the law". It will give rise to 'blanks', ie those people who will sacrifice all the ameneties that will spring forth from being in the databases just so they aren't in the databases. And it won't flower into the ideal situation that you describe in which law is made based upon fairness and rationality. The system will be abused just like all other systems in an imperfect world and the Big Brother effect will be real and exploited. What remains to be seen is if society will eventually get used to it and accept it, much like we are used to and accept that government is abusive and corrupt.

RE: UnRealID.com