REAL ID (or the alternative PASS ID proposal) would support and protects a system of so-called ‘gold standard’ drivers licenses. It would also increase the document requirements to confirm a license holder’s identity and require the digitization of identity documents in order to facilitate identity confirmation and avoid issuing duplicate licenses. USACM believes in order to accomplish this safely and securely, the system must make sure license data and associated information are available only to those who should have access, and that the system must work very quickly. This would require an extensive nationwide investment in information technology. The state-of-practice for building such large systems and satisfying requirements for security, reliability, survivability and guaranteed real-time performance is lacking. As a result, there is a large possibility of major cost overruns and significant shortcomings. And by making the licenses such an important credential REAL ID could shift the focus of identity thieves away from social security and credit card numbers. A forged REAL ID poses a greater threat given the increased trust placed in it, and related identity theft would be much harder to restore. USACM sees problems with REAL ID in several areas, including accountability, privacy and security.
Related Articles
USACM Encourages Flexibility In Proposed Cybersecurity Framework
As part of the President’s Executive Order on Cybersecurity, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is required to develop a Cybersecurity Framework (Framework). This Framework, per Section 7 of the Executive Order, would “include a set of standards
...Read More
Cyber Week Recap
Plenty of techies, carrying an array of digital devices and looking for power outlets, swarmed Capitol Hill last week for the so-called “cyber week” in the U.S. House of Representatives. To give you some idea of the number of tech lobbyists on scene, Wednesday’s
...Read More
House Intelligence Committee Tries Again With CISPA
On April 10 the House Intelligence Committee will review H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. The Committee approved an almost identical bill last year, and USACM released a statement expressing serious concerns with the bill. While press reports indicate
...Read More
Do Not Track Legislation Reintroduced in Senate
On Thursday Senator Rockefeller of West Virginia introduced legislation to establish an option for people to opt out of tracking their online activity. It is S.418 and can be reviewed online. The Senator introduced a similar bill in 2011. He did not vigorously pursue the measure,
...Read More
USACM Chair Comments on Cybersecurity Executive Order
On Tuesday, as part of the State of the Union address, President Obama issued an executive order on cybersecurity. The order focuses on the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure – defined in the order as “systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to
...Read More
Federal Trade Commission Updates Online Privacy Rules For Pre-Teens
On Wednesday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the final updated rules for implementing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Passed in 1998, COPPA rules had not been updated to reflect changes in technology, most notably the rise of mobile intern
...Read More