Very exciting things are happening in New Hampshire, where the House has passed a bill to refuse participation in the federal REAL ID Act. REAL ID is a bill that attempts to coerce states into issuing nationally standardized drivers’ licenses and identification cards. It also would have states enter information about citizens and residents into a national database.
I went to New Hampshire Monday to testify to the State Senate Committee on Public and Municipal Affairs, which is considering passing HB 1582 . . . or . . . perhaps it will accept a $3 million grant to comply with REAL ID, which would commit the state to spending ten times that amount in compliance costs.
The reason this is so important is that a national ID will help advance unified record-keeping, particularly by governments, rendering people more susceptible to surveillance and control. A national ID would be a major shift in power from individuals to institutions.
I deal with all these issues in my forthcoming book Identity Crisis: How Identification is Overused and Misunderstood
And, yes, I will be plugging my book here on TLF for the next couple of months. It seems shameless, but I’m doing it for you. You need to read this book and learn about the magical, everyday process of identification!
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.