They'll line up to hack it, misuse it, ...

The Telegraph in Macon Georgia is astounded that Home Security Secretary Michael Chertoff seems to think "the Real ID Act could create opportunities to protect people against identity theft." They really bear into this wild idea. Quotes:

[He] is reported to have said that implementing the Real ID Act could create opportunities to protect people against identity theft. It may likely have the opposite effect.

"Collect it, and they'll come." They'll line up to hack it, misuse it, salt it away in databases and sell it. "They" being every one from crooks, cops and tax sleuths on fishing expeditions to marketers.

Just the cost of collecting the information, much less gearing up to do it by 2008, has governors worried. Congress appropriated $100 million, but the governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia say it'll cost that much for each of their states. (Can you spell m-o-s-t-l-y u-n-f-u-n-d-e-d m-a-n-d-a-t-e?)

Each card will store one's name, address, birthdate, sex, ID numbers and digital photo at minimum. Homeland Security can decide there should be fingerprints or retinal scans as well. This personal information must be encoded in machine-readable form - enhanced bar codes, magnetic strips or even radio frequency identification chips. With that infrastructure, it's a short step to transform these drivers' licenses on steroids into official national ID cards - a bright idea that's been turned down repeatedly.

Besides imposing a heavy financial burden on the states, Real ID will place the privacy and financial well-being of every citizen at risk. Congress must reconsider this act, slipped through as it was, without debate.