DHS Regulations Could Cost Taxpayers, Threaten Privacy
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens Against Government Waste
(CAGW) today released Real ID: Big Brother Could Cost Big Money, a report
detailing the substantial costs and privacy risks that could be posed by
federal standards for state-issued drivers' licenses. The Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) will hold a meeting today with state officials to
discuss options for implementing the Real ID Act. One mandate being
considered is an embedded computer chip with the capacity for carrying
detailed personal information, which would cost $17.4 billion and could push
the cost of a drivers' license from $10 to $25 to at least $90.
"With the high price of gasoline and massive costs of hurricane recovery
already burdening Americans, federal agencies should not be saddling drivers
and taxpayers with billions of dollars in unnecessary expenses," CAGW
President Tom Schatz said.
Buried in an $82 billion military spending bill and passed without any
congressional debate in May 2005, the Real ID Act was touted as an anti-
terrorist and immigration reform bill. However, most states were already
making secure cards at a reasonable cost and improving application procedures.
While states are not technically forced to accept federal standards, the
refusal of any state to comply would affect its citizens' ability to get a
job, receive Social Security benefits, or fly on a commercial plane.
"Real ID was not subject to a full debate. But since it is the law, it
falls on the Department of Homeland Security to issue regulations that do not
lead to tax increases or invade citizens' privacy," Schatz continued.
Two main forms of protection are being considered: Magnetic stripes or
two-dimensional (2-D) barcodes; and contactless integrated circuits such as
radio frequency identification (RFID) chips. Currently, 49 states use either
magnetic stripes or 2-D technology on drivers' licenses and have had minimal
identity theft problems. If the government opts to require RFID chips, more
than 196 million U.S. drivers will be forced to carry a license that has the
memory to store every detail about the person, including health records,
family history, bank and credit card transactions. Another pitfall is that
information on RFID chips can be remotely accessed by unauthorized persons.
Finally, the cost of a driver's license could rise by 260-800 percent, from
$10-$25 to at least $90, a heavy burden on low-income taxpayers and many
senior citizens.
"The idea of turning licenses into 'smartcards' is far from brilliant.
RFID chips would force some states to shelve millions of dollars of investment
into their own security solutions and start from scratch. With the
government's long history of technological ineptitude, RFID chips could make
citizens more vulnerable to identity theft and government snooping. If the
chips fall where they should, they will not be included in any American's ID
card," Schatz concluded.
Real ID: Big Brother Could Cost Big Money, written by CAGW Research
Associate Angela French, is available at http://www.cagw.org.
Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and
mismanagement in government.
SOURCE Citizens Against Government Waste
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Related links:
http://www.cagw.org
CONTACT:
Daytime: Jessica Shoemaker,
+1-202-467-5318, or After hours: Tom Finnigan, +1-202-253-3852,
both of Citizens Against Government Waste
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