Posted on 01/12/2008 5:42:02 AM PST by kellynla
Millions of air travelers may find going through airport security much more complicated this spring, as the Bush administration heads toward a showdown with state governments over post-Sept. 11 rules for new driver's licenses.
By May, the dispute could leave millions of people unable to use their licenses to board planes, but privacy advocates called that a hollow threat by federal officials.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who was unveiling final details of the REAL ID Act's rules on Friday, said that if states want their licenses to remain valid for air travel after May 2008, those states must seek a waiver indicating they want more time to comply with the legislation.
Chertoff said that for any state which doesn't seek such a waiver by May, residents of that state will have to use a passport or certain types of federal border-crossing cards if they want to avoid a vigorous secondary screening at airport security.
"The last thing I want to do is punish citizens of a state who would love to have a REAL ID license but can't get one," Chertoff said. "But in the end, the rule is the rule as passed by Congress."
The plan's chief critic, the American Civil Liberties Union, called Chertoff's deadline a bluff — and urged state governments to call him on it.
"Are they really prepared to shut those airports down? Which is what effectively would happen if the residents of those states are going to have to go through secondary scrutiny," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's technology and liberty program. "This is a scare tactic."
So far, 17 states have passed legislation or resolutions objecting to the REAL ID Act's provisions, many due to concerns it will cost them too much to comply. The 17, according to the ACLU, are Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington.
Maine officials said Friday they were unsure if their own state law even allows them to ask for a waiver.
"It certainly seems to be an effort by the federal government to create compliance with REAL ID whether states have an interest in doing so or not," said Don Cookson, spokesman for the Maine secretary of state's office.
The Sept. 11 attacks were the main motivation for the changes: The hijacker-pilot who flew into the Pentagon, Hani Hanjour, had four driver's licenses and ID cards from three states.
The Homeland Security Department and other officials say the only way to ensure an ID is safe is to check it against secure government data; critics such as the ACLU say that creates a system that is more likely to be infiltrated and have its personal data pilfered.
Congress passed the REAL ID law in 2005, but the effort has been delayed by opposition from states worried about the cost and civil libertarians upset about what they believe are invasions of privacy.
Under the rules announced Friday, Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years, over which time the new requirements would gradually be phased in.
A key deadline would come in 2011, when federal authorities hope all states will be in compliance, and the regulations would not take full effect for all Americans until 2017.
To make the plan more appealing to cost-conscious states, federal authorities drastically reduced the expected cost from $14.6 billion to $3.9 billion, a 73 percent decline, said Homeland Security officials familiar with the plan.
By 2014, anyone seeking to board an airplane or enter a federal building would have to present a REAL ID-compliant card, with the notable exception of those older than 50, Homeland Security officials said.
The over-50 exemption was created to give states more time to get everyone new licenses, and officials say the risk of someone in that age group being a terrorist, illegal immigrant or con artist is much less. By 2017, even those over 50 must have a REAL ID-compliant card to board a plane.
Among other details of the REAL ID plan:
_The traditional driver's license photograph would be taken at the beginning of the application instead of the end so that if someone is rejected for failure to prove identity and citizenship, the applicant's photo would be kept on file and checked if that person tried to con the system again.
_The cards will have three layers of security measures but will not contain microchips as some had expected. States will be able to choose from a menu which security measures they will put in their cards.
_After Social Security and immigration status checks become nationwide practice, officials plan to move on to more expansive security checks. State DMV offices would be required to verify birth certificates; check with other states to ensure an applicant doesn't have more than one license; and check with the State Department to verify applicants who use passports to get a driver's license.
The older one's aren't figured to be as likely to blow themselves up.
Our IDs will not be Amserican IDs. This is big brother at work.
I’ll try to find as much as possible about this company.
Oh, absolutely!
I’ll try to find as much as possible about this company.
I'd be interested in what you find out....holler if you need any help...I wasn't finding too much out on a cursory internet scan...on either the company or this Jurgen fellow.
The government is betting that folks born after 1964 are less likely to make a stink about losing their freedom.
oops...see my post #45....meant for you.
Two of their most recent clients were European Patent Office and Hutchinson Port Holdings, the owner of one of the largest container ports in Europe. Both clients set different challenges for vps, but its unrivalled expertise ensured each one was met.
The UK’s largest container port now uses IDExpert CMS to manage the contactless biometric identity cards being issued to thousands of hauliers entering the port each day. The initiative, known as RHIDES – the Road Hauliers Identity System – has been introduced at the Port of Felixstowe, part of the Hutchinson Port Holdings, to enhance security at the terminal. The system allows recognized truck companies to request cards for the drivers online. Once drivers arrive at the port their credentials are checked through biometric hand data stored on the card.
http://www.vps.de/customer.html?&L=1
Notice that none of the “front-runner” GOP candidates are addressing this crap. We need a Real ID like America needs more illegal aliens.
Jurgen mentioned.
Their concerns are misplaced—whether I show my passport or D/L when I travel domestically it is a simple matter of matching my name, ticket and face. I am monitored, my name is on the passenger manifest and in the airline’s system.
If I travel internationally, my passport is scanned. The government knows exactly when I left the country, through which port, and when I returned. My husband and I still have old ones, but we had to renew our kids’ passports last year and they have the new digital ones.
The ACLU is WAAAY behind the curve here and is, as usual, making mountains out of molehills.
Digital Identification Solutions landed the contract. Doesn’t Gus Tai work for them and wasn’t he also the management consultant to Bain and isn’t Bain Romneys baby?
*shrug* Some third world ideas would work very well here.
For example, Mexico is third world, but they have a far better ID system than the US.
The senior document in Mexico, the document you need to get any other ID, driver license, passport, etc. The document you need to open a bank account, register a business, buy a house or car, is, is, is...
The Voter ID card!
“So why didn’t you Left Coasters staunch the hispanic conversion of Mexifornia BEFORE we got to this point?”
Hey, genius, FYI, immigration, borders and illegals are a federal governmnet responsibility. Or didn’t they teach that where you went to school? LOL
And if your former GA governor Carter who became POTUS had started doing his job; we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in today...or didn’t you hear about the Iran hostage crisis where you live...and that’s not “rhetorical!”
The “Left Coast” gave America Ronald Reagan while your GA gave America, Jimmy Carter.
Better put some ice on that! LMAO
I don’t know. I’ll be looking for answers this weekend.
What I see, I don’t like.
If Mexico has our data base, you can bet the kidnappings will increase as they will also have cards to cross the border. We are losing it big time.
Gus Tai
Employment History
*
General Partner
Trinity Ventures
Headquarters
Menlo Park, CA 94025
“Trinity Ventures has helped guide us through explosive growth. I can always count on Trinity to provide thoughtful insight and to be highly accessible.”
Board Member &
Manager, Initial Institutional Investment
Blue Nile , Inc. (NASDAQ: NILE)
Seattle, WA 98104
Blue Nile, Inc. is an online retailer of diamonds and jewelry. The Company’s primary website is located at www.bluenile.com. Blue Nile also operates the www.bluenile.co.uk and www.bluenile.ca Websites in the United Kingdom and Canada, respectively. The Company’s Websites showcase.
Consultant To Technology Firms On New Product Development and Business Strategy
Bain & Company
Headquarters Address:
Boston, MA 02116
Website: www.bain.com
Bain & Company, a leading global business consulting firm, serves clients on issues of strategy, operations, technology, organization and mergers and acquisitions. The firm was founded in 1973 on the principle that Bain consultants must measure their success by their clients’ financial.
Management Consultant In Technology Practice
Bain & Company
Boston, MA 02116
USA
Board Membership and Affiliations
* Chairman/Board Member
Chinese Software Professional Association
San Jose, CA 95170-0249
Website: www.cspa.com
CSPA was founded in July 1988 by a group of dedicated and enthusiastic Silicon Valley computer professionals. Historically, its membership was mostly Chinese-American software engineers who wanted to exchange ideas and network with each other. Over the years, CSPA established a reputation.
Board Member
PlayFirst , Inc.
San Francisco, CA 94104
PlayFirst is the leading publisher of highly-original games made for casual gamers wherever they play. Committed to fostering creativity, PlayFirst works with talented internal and external developers to bring innovative games to multiple platforms, including PC, Mac, and mobile devices.’
Active Board Member
Aventail Corporation
Seattle, WA 98101
Aventail is the leading SSL VPN product company and the authority on clientless, secure application access. Aventail’s family of Smart SSL VPN appliances increase productivity for end users and IT professionals while maximizing security and lowering costs. Aventail appliances are built on.
Advisory Board Member/Board Member
MIT Club of Northern California
San Francisco, CA 94104
Website: www.mitcnc.org
MIT Club of Northern California (MITCNC) is the premier regional alumni/ae club of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The club offers numerous resources in entrepreneurship, career development, and professional networking in the Bay Area. In addition, the Club provides many.
Board Member
Amalfi Semiconductor
Los Gatos, CA. 95032-5405
Amalfi Semiconductor is a fabless developer of high-performance CMOS RF and mixed-signal semiconductors for the cellular industry. Based in Los Gatos California, the company was founded in January 2003 by an experienced business and engineering team to solve some of the most challenging.
Board Member
Photobucket Inc
Broomfield, CO 80038
Board Member
Jobster Inc
http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=341934
Chinese connection everywhere I look.
Gus worked as a management consultant in Bain & Company’s technology practice. Prior to Bain, Gus served as an engineering and business development manager at DEC’s Alpha Microprocessor Division. Previously, he worked at Goldman Sachs.
http://www.digitalidworld.com/conference/2002/speaker_profile.php?id=91
Able Danger spilled over into Chinagate or vice versa.
Romney, I wonder what he knows?
Gus Tai is in the background everywhere in this ID bs. From company to company to company.
I have that site bookmarked. I have many with Tai saved.
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