The Real ID Act is that piece of legislation that will create a single, unified form of ID for everyone in the US. And now, for the next piece of flummery…
What the Real ID Act does is impose some federal standards on drivers licenses and identification cards. I’m sure there are some people out there equating this with the mark of the beast. I don’t know if it is or not, I’m only thinking of the number of countries (such as Canada), that must be laughing at this.
Right now each state and protectorate issues its own form of drivers license and id. This hearkens back to our very early days of a nation when the US was really 13 separate countries, each with their own form of currency, etc., who united only to keep the Brits at bay.
Or ocean.
The US has this concept of states’ rights that is a bit of a mystery. Rather than a national registry of drivers, reciprocity laws have to be set up so that if you are guilty of vehicular homicide in Utah it’ll show up when you get a license in NY. Doesn’t it make more sense that that kind of information be known everywhere?
What effect will this have on eCommerce? Like all things, not a lot, me thinks. The purpose is to prevent fraud. Of course, any form of standardization means less work for those attempting to conduct fraud.
It doesn’t matter how good you make the lock, someone will find a way to pick it. Besides, locks only keep the honest people out.
And as one of my teachers once told me, locks aren’t meant to keep people out, they’re meant to only let certain people in.
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I personally don't know what the big deal is about Real ID. From what I read CA wouldn't have to change much of anything except maybe adding the database linking system. I was more concerned when I had lost my wallet last year and tried to write a check in the grocery store using my passport as ID and they had the nerve to tell me I needed a valid CA ID. They were even willing to input my ID # manually if I knew it by heart! I told them that a passport was more valid than a drivers license and that anyone could just walk in, claim to have lost their ID and give them an ID #. Suffice it to say, I was pissed, but they gave me my groceries after my compelling arguement. Sometimes I really hate the bass-ackwardness and global ignorance of the US.
Real ID doesn't seem like a big deal in comparison to such stupidity.
Posted by: Kimberlee Morrison | January 17, 2008 9:46 AM | Permalink to Comment