Posted on 03/02/2003 6:52:16 PM PST by chance33_98
WKRN, Tennessee
Driver's license finger scan being considered
Public safety officials see a proposal requiring driver's license applicants to submit to a new kind of fingerprinting as a way to combat fraud, but civil libertarians have concerns.
The state Legislature is considering Senate Bill 423, under which a person's finger would be scanned. The scan will identify up to 40 unique points on the finger, said David Beatty, project director of the Department of Public Safety program.
Beatty called the it ``touch signature,'' but the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma wonders who will have access to that information.
``It is a privacy issue, and we would have great concerns about what it would lead to,'' said Joann Bell, executive director of the ACLU of Oklahoma.
``There's a possibility under homeland security that the driver's license could become part of a national ID.''
Beatty disagreed, but said the driver's license has become accepted identification nationwide.
``The importance of the person holding the license and the person pictured on the license being the same is paramount. Society has dictated that,'' Beatty said.
The finger scan program would ensure the person who passes a driving test is the same person who goes to the tag agent to get a license, he said.
It also will ensure the person who goes to a tag agent to replace a lost driver's license is legitimate, Beatty said.
With the proposed new system, tag agents will be able to electronically check the license with the Public Safety Department to ensure the appropriate person receives the license.
Oklahoma issues four-year driver's licenses so it would take four years for all licenses in the state to be issued using a finger scan.
As of Dec. 31, 2.3 million people had driver's licenses and another 230,000 who don't drive had ID cards, Beatty said.
Senate Bill 423 is before the Senate and likely will be considered next week, said Sen. Robert M. Kerr, D-Altus, its author.
If the legislation becomes law, Oklahoma would join eight other states with a finger-imaging system: Colorado, Mississippi, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
This technology has nothing to do with stopping criminals.
If they wanted to end "identify theft" or other forms of fraud, those found guilty of such crimes by an impartial jury of their peers, would simply be put to death.
After the first few criminals are executed, you'd see a huge reduction in fraud crimes.
The real agenda of this technology is the establishment of a gov't control grid to keep the peasants in line.
CD
That would be sweet.
If such tyranny ever comes to pass, there are more than a few patriots who have their own "implant" technogies ready to go.
These "implants" can be administered from several hundred yards away, and are very cheap.
Can you imagine the weird alliances that the power elites would form to stop such a ticket from being elected?
Viisages driver license system is quite advanced. It is entirely digitally-based, and customized for each state. The machine utilizes Eigen-face technology patented by MIT. Viisage is the sole licensee of the technology, for which it pays an annual fee thats smaller than my monthly dry cleaning bill. The machine even lets states fingerprint applicants. The actual machine is compact, easy-to-operate, and fast. Mr. Mazzu made sample drivers licenses for Dave and I, taking less than 2 minutes each (Dave can now legally drive in Argentina!). Each drivers license comes with a sophisticated bar code encrypted on the back of the card, using a very sophisticated and patented process.
Colatosti and Mazzu are both energized about the potential of Viisages biometrics technology, or feature recognition systems. Within biometrics, Viisage has focused on face-recognition, which leverages its core driver license business. Face recognition is more agreeable to the general public, because it doesnt have the criminal-stigma of fingerprinting, the weirdness of sticking your hand into a reader or the spookiness of eyeball reading.
VA, if you think in anyway shape or form this is a good idea (fingerprint or face recognition) you need to step away from the pipe. Talk about big government and intrusion into a person's life!!
CD, looks like it's just face recognition at the moment, but I don't like that bar code on my DL. Hmmm, restrictions on cars, supposed safety measure, you don't think my favoritest politician in the whole wide world would be mixed up in this somehow do you?
Our driver's license?
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