FC: Virginia may record biometric info on all licensed drivers

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[The relevant section of the bill, to be considered in the state once home 
to Thomas Jefferson and George Mason, says: "Every application for a 
driver's license shall include (i) a color photograph of the applicant 
supplied under arrangements made by the Department and (ii) a thumbprint or 
other biometric identifier, as determined by the Commissioner." Perhaps all 
those DC-area libertarians who decamped to Arlington, Alexandria and 
Fairfax will be heading back to the city. :) --Declan]

---

From: Fred Heutte <phred () sunlightdata com>
To: <declan () well com>
CC: <donbain () aol com>
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 18:49:46 GMT

Hi Declan, an interesting pointer from my friend Don Bain that might
be something to put on Politech.  The actual text of the bill is at:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?021+ful+SB62

I'm not as certain that this is a slippery-slope step toward the
national ID concept, which was pretty thoroughly thrashed in the House
hearing last month, where even Oracle ran away from the idea.

But I am concerned about data quality and authentication issues.
Thumbprints are better than facial recognition scanning, but not all
that much.

Finally, the big issue that facial scanning surfaces is what happens
to all the data that is *already* collected long in advance of any
kind of official national ID program.  In the UK, there is at least
the principle that all CCTV video in public areas, for example, must
be made available to those who were captured.  Of course, implementation
is spotty but at least the principle and legal right pertains.

Fred


------ mail forwarded, original message follows ------

To: aboutard () orednet org
From: DonBain () aol com <>
Subject: Fwd: Biometric IDs
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 16:53:30 EST


Coming to the Virginia General Assembly and, I suspect, to other
legislatures around the country very soon:

----------------------
SB 62 Driver's licenses, commercial driver's licenses, and special
identification cards

Patron - John C. Watkins (all patrons)

Summary as introduced:

Driver's licenses, commercial driver's licenses, and special
identification cards; use of thumbprints or other biometric identifiers
required. Requires use of thumbprints or other biometric identifiers (as
determined by the DMV Commissioner) in connection with driver's licenses,
commercial driver's licenses, and special identification cards. These
provisions would only apply to driver's licenses, commercial driver's
licenses, special identification cards, and applications therefor issued
or submitted on or after January 1, 2003.

---------------------

Govt-issued biometric IDs are one short step from a national identity
card.  Once this is done at the state level, they will trade that data
across the states and, voila!, a national ID card.  State DMVs, the
medical insurance industry and police depts. already are skirting privacy
and dossier laws via private independent organizations for trading their
information.  Such an ID will become the common medium around which _all_
your personal, private and public data is _automatically_ gathered,
distributed, traded and sold (opting out will not be an option); and a
gateway to modern life in this country (without one you'll be barred from
many public and private services and privileges).  With it comes the
issues of data privacy, your right to see your own files and make
corrections, opting out of various sources and uses, identity theft, and
inevitably, like in previous depotic/communist/authoritarian/socialist
regimes, involuntary "Your papers!" demands being foisted on everyone,
anytime, anywhere (only then without your awareness its happening) - and
it being illegal not to have it.

Don Bain




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