Comments on: Startling Incompetence at ANSI Standards Group

By: Jim McCabe

Jim McCabe — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:49:48 +0000

Jim Harper makes some sweeping statements about the IDSP report released yesterday which seem to hinge on a misreading of one particular sentence in the press release. Perhaps the sentence could have been clearer but the intent was to communicate that the IRTPA requires identity verification for birth certificates and REAL ID does the same for driver’s licenses. As constructed, the key word is “respectively.” If you read the report, you will find ample evidence that the group well understands that REAL ID repealed the driver’s license provisions of the IRTPA. The report includes separate sections dealing with birth certificates / IRTPA and driver’s licenses / REAL ID. The report elaborates on the group’s concern that the IRTPA regulations for birth certificates have not been issued and that they are needed to “put some teeth into the process” of identity verification.

On the issue raised about the tie between secure identity documents and terrorism, the report notes a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from March 2009 which showed that investigators were able to obtain U.S. passports using counterfeit birth certificates, driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers of deceased or fictitious individuals.

ANSI takes very seriously the output of its standards panels and welcomes legitimate commentary. The group that assembled the report included representatives of key agencies and organizations directly involved in the subject area.

Jim McCabe
Senior Director, Consumer Relations and IDSP
American National Standards Institute

By: Jim McCabe

Jim McCabe — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:49:48 +0000

By: Mike Sullivan

Mike Sullivan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:52:51 +0000

Jim said: "And REAL ID does not require verification of identity prior to issuance of birth certificates. What could that even mean?! 'Hey you—little baby—let me see some ID before I issue you your birth certificate.'”

Obviously, a newborn doesn't need its own ID for issuance of a birth certificate, but it probably does need the ID of at least one parent, or a public official attesting that the parents are unknown.

More importantly, I shouldn't be able to just waltz up to theVital Records Bureau (or its online portal) in Jim's place of birth saying I'm Jim Harper and be able to get Jim's birth certificate, all certified and sealed. With that and a bit more I could get a driver's license and passport in his name.