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The deadline of yet another, and perhaps the most insidious, element of the post-9/11 initiatives (a partial list of which includes the establishment of the Transportation Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and a never-ending international war against a nebulously-defined, noncorporeal enemy, "terror") is less than one year from coming to fruition. Beginning no later than October 1, 2020, citizens of all US states and territories will be required to have a Real ID compliant card or US passport to board a commercial plane or enter a Federal government facility. Pundits citing the inevitability of what amounts to a national ID card have, regrettably, been vindicated.
https://www.aier.org/article/while-you-slept-government-created-internal-passports/
(Score: 4, Insightful) by danmars on Wednesday November 06 2019, @02:59PM (6 children)
My perspective on REAL ID is that it didn't change a whole lot of things; it's primarily a way to bully some lazy states who didn't bother to actually verify who people were, to make them slightly improve the quality of their cards and quit doing crazy things like making them valid for 50 years.
A lot of states have had stricter rules in line with REAL ID for a long time, things like requiring a few forms of ID (to establish who you are, your citizenship, and that you actually live there) since long before they were mandated to. It's basically just telling states they can't hand out driver's licenses and identification cards like candy to everyone who asks for them, and that they have to be at least plausibly difficult to counterfeit, if they want the cards to be viewed as legitimate indication of identity by the federal government.
I find it remarkable that we've managed to make it through with this policy and not national ID / national DL or requiring federally-issued documents like passports for everyone to fly.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Common Joe on Wednesday November 06 2019, @05:42PM (2 children)
What makes it a big deal is that it removes a huge state right -- self autonomy to license things. There's never been a law saying that California has to allow Texas driver's licenses. That's always been just a courtesy, but that's a'changin. The whole idea of "The United States" is that the states are supposed to remain separate -- united only for the basic things life defense of the country. But that is something most people no longer seem to understand or want.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday November 06 2019, @07:43PM
It's not a courtesy. Full Faith And Credit is Article IV Section 1 of the United States Constitution. (If one has a marriage license in State A, State B must respect the couple is married. A driver's license in State A entitiles one to operate a motor vehicle in State B). It has its thorny issues as well, of course: Just because one has a concealed carry license from one's home state does not allow one to carry concealed in another. If I remember right (and may be wrong), the lack of this coordination was one of the problems with the Articles of Confederation.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Jay on Wednesday November 06 2019, @09:56PM
So your preference is that IDs issued by one state not be respected in another state?
Fucking brilliant!
That means the only nationally accepted ID would be.....a US Passport. Which is exactly what you're railing on against.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by slinches on Wednesday November 06 2019, @08:48PM (1 child)
Why is it crazy for an ID to be valid for long terms? It's not like people change their identity so frequently that they need to recheck every year or two.
(Score: 2) by danmars on Thursday November 07 2019, @06:59PM
While you may still be the same person, cards essentially have no long-term security against counterfeiters - their only ultimate security is in their replacement with newer designs. Have you seen an ID issued 20 years ago?
McLovin is an easy example. While an ID issued in that design still belongs to the same person, a card with ancient/nonexistent physical security features is easily counterfeited and anyone can have a fake ID in that insecure design, so you carrying that card is in no way an indication that you are who you say you are. Built-in obsolescence (an expiration date which reasonably corresponds to how long that card will remain reasonably secure) makes sense for items which are significant targets for counterfeiting.
We're already starting out at a car system, so I won't go for a car analogy. Maybe Star Wars? "It's an older code, sir, but it checks out." - You get rid of that attack vector by making the codes expire.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday November 07 2019, @12:25AM
POOF! your credit cards, ID, and SS card just disappeared. Now, see how easy it is to get replacements. BTW, you didn't notice but your ID expired last year (how an ID expires when the person didn't also expire is beyond me).
Now, just to add to the fun, imagine if the bills are in your SO's name.
Good luck danmars, IF that's really who you are!