By David Cruz
Correspondent
The Real ID law was passed back in 2005, on recommendation of the 9/11 commission, ostensibly to make it harder for terrorists to get state drivers licenses, but it’s taken a decade for the Department of Homeland Security to finally get around to enforcement. Now, residents in some states may no longer be able to use their drivers licenses or state motor vehicle commission IDs to get into federal facilities, or even to board domestic flights. Among other things, the law requires motor vehicle agencies to:
- Provide space for an applicant’s full first name.
- Take applicant’s photo at beginning of process.
- Run facial recognition software.
Right now, New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission is in compliance with just that last requirement. As far as the others?
“We’ve been recognized for enhancing the security of our drivers licenses and IDs and will continue to offer a secure document to New Jersey residents,” said a spokesperson today.
Compliance with the law would mean that your personal information, like Social Security numbers and copies of birth certificates, would be available to other motor vehicle agencies, and thus thousands of their employees across the country. But some privacy advocates say Real ID is really just an end around attempt by the federal government to create a national ID card.
“All the states would issue uniform cards and back-end databases which share information about drivers and ID holders nationally,” said Jim Harper, a Senior Fellow with the Cato Institute. “The department of Homeland Security is trying to drive compliance by threatening to withhold acceptance of licenses from non-compliant states at TSA when people go to travel, so that’s a national ID that’s being pushed by the federal government on the states.”
Some states are balking at the requirements for this very reason. But New Jersey?
“We expect to work diligently to be in compliance by the October 2016 deadline” said the spokesperson.
In addition to the potential privacy vulnerabilities, the law, in 10 years of non-enforcement has already cost a lot of money, according to Harper.
“Congress has spent almost half a billion dollars over the last 10 years on various identification and biometric programs,” he said. “That is money spent to track all of us. Now, some of them may have security benefits, but, on the whole, tracking law-abiding American citizens fails the cost benefit analysis. That is, it spends more money than it delivers in security or other benefits.”
TSA referred our questions to the Department of Homeland Security, but they wouldn’t comment. As for you, if you’ve got travel plans for the New Year, you should be OK. But unless New Jersey changes course, you could be forced to share a lot more of your personal information if you want to fly, or even visit your Congressman’s office, all in the name of national security.