Privacy Working Group

Since the passage of the Real ID Act in 2005, Citizens Against Government Waste has been shouting as loud as we can about the potential privacy intrusion and taxpayer costs of Real ID. Our 2005 report stated that:

Sneaking through the legislative process without any congressional hearings or
deliberation, the Real ID Act became law before most members of Congress had a chance
to review it. The bill establishes strict and costly federal minimum standards for states’ issuance of drivers’ licenses, even though most states had already improved their methods of verifying and securing driver’s licenses. It may also be a substantial and hidden tax increase for all Americans. Although former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge stated that the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) forbade a national ID card, according to Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, “The Real ID Act represents a further advance for national ID in the United States. Even though cards will be state-issued, Real ID creates a fully uniform identification system that is essentially mandatory. Real ID is the framework for a vast extension of government surveillance over law-abiding citizens.”

CAGW activated it’s grassroots network and eventually teamed up with the ACLU and the Cato Institute to inform people about the fiscal and privacy dangers of REAL ID. As the months went by, more and more stated rejected REAL ID, citing the potential costs to comply and those pesky little privacy issues of having a database with everybody’s information stored in it.

On May 18, Minnesotta rejected the Real ID Act, beocming the 23rd state to do so. According to an ACLU press release:

Minnesota Governor Timothy Pawlenty signed legislation on Saturday that prohibits his administration from turning the state driver’s license into a national identity card and from imposing new burdens on taxpayers, citizens, immigrants and state government. The state legislature overwhelmingly endorsed the bill with a unanimous House vote and a 64-1 vote in the Senate. Minnesota becomes the 23rd state to reject the Real ID Act of 2005, raising the question of why Congress has not repealed the law.

Now comes word that the United States Congress is set to get rid of REAL ID and craft a more citizen friendly law. According to Government Executive.com:

Federal and state officials have drafted legislation to replace a controversial 2005 law that set national standards for driver’s licenses and identification cards, but critics say the proposal would not guarantee enough security.

Right now details are a bit sketchy but this legislation does not seem to be much of an improvement over the original law. As Jim Harper stated in his blog:

Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), formerly an opponent of having a national ID, has been working with the National Governors Association to round down the sharpest corners of REAL ID and give the national ID law a new name.

A news report says the new bill “explicitly prevents the creation of a national identification card.” It might also prevent things that walk like ducks, quack like ducks, and swim like ducks from being called “ducks.”

The only way to resolve the problems with REAL ID is to repeal REAL ID. Reviving the national ID program under another name is not a solution.

The only way to ensure that the taxpayers aren’t on the hook for an intrusive and expensive national id program is to put a stake through the heart of REAL ID. Until then, CAGW will tell anybody that listens how ridiculous this law is.