Indirectly, anyway. They are members of the Information Technology Association of America, which continues to plead lamely for federal funding of the REAL ID Act, the United States’ moribund national ID law.
I’d been considering writing about an opinion poll purporting to favor REAL ID that ITAA has been touting this week, but mostly thought it should remain obscure. The headline of a Washington Technology article by Alice Lipowicz was too good to pass up, though:
ITAA to Congress: Cut a Check for REAL ID Now
I’ve long thought highly of the ITAA – they’ve taken many sensible pro-innovation and anti-regulatory positions over the years – but it’s embrassing to watch their slavish begging for federal dollars – all to build infrastructure that attacks the nation’s values.
A trade association representing the interests of its members in Washington is one thing. A gaggle of lobbyists that fishes around the Beltway for federal money – that’s quite another. I don’t think the people and companies in the tech industry are well represented by an organization that tries to promote a national ID, given the surveillance and tracking that attends it.
Take a look at their membership list for companies you’re familiar with. Indirectly, they’re supporting the REAL ID Act too. You could let them know what you think of that directly by contacting them or indirectly by withdrawing your patronage.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.