44.493
Issues in Criminal Justice Technology & Security
Identification (continued)
Arguments against National Identification
Card:
- wouldn't avoid terrorist attacks:
terrorists would just find ways to get the cards (and the fact
that they have new features such as biometrics might give us
a false sense of security)
- "unintended consequences:
" once in effect, police and others might begin to use them
in additional ways (ACLU points out that the Social Security
Act included "strict prohibitions against use of Social
Security cards for unrelated purposes"
- would require creating a government
database, continually updated, including every American -- this
data base would be prone to the same kind of errors that the
"no fly" list has, and might really cause serious problems
for people. "Law enforcement and other government agencies
would soon ask to link into it, while employers, landlords, credit
agencies, mortgage brokers, direct mailers, landlords, private
investigators, civil litigants, and a long list of other parties
would begin seeking access, further eroding the privacy that
Americans have always expected in their personal lives.
- Might be seen as "internal
passports" that authorities could use to track innocent
people's movements (VA
was considering a RFID-chip in licenses, which would have facilitated
this).
- Could result in new types of
discriminatory action against minorities and others.
My article on the benefits of a "smart"
passport such as those used in Malaysia.
How would smart cards do in light of our
evaluation criteria?
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