From: "Rich Gauszka" 

"Failure to provide openness and transparency undermines
accountability and trust," the DHS committee noted in its comments.


http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/05/11/DHS-privacy-committee-opposes-Real-ID
_1.html?source=NLC-SEC&cgd=2007-05-14

A privacy committee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has
joined a growing chorus of voices opposed to the controversial Real ID
bill, which proposes to create a national standard for state driver's
licenses and other forms of state-issued identification.

In comments submitted to the DHS earlier this week, the department's own
Data Privacy & Integrity Advisory Committee called the Real ID Act
"one of the largest identity management undertakings in history"
and said it raises serious privacy, security, and logistical concerns.

"These include, but are not limited to, the implementation costs, the
privacy consequences, the security of stored identity documents and
personal information," the committee noted. It also cited other
concerns such as mission creep, redress, and fairness issues.

The committee was commenting on a set of draft regulations that the DHS
released in March for implementing the requirements of the Real ID Act. The
deadline for submitting public comments was Tuesday.

The Real ID Act of 2005, passed as part of a wider effort to combat
terrorism, sets minimum national standards that states must use when
issuing driver's licenses and other forms of identification. This includes
a photo ID, documentation of birth date and address, proof of citizenship
or immigration status, and verification of Social Security numbers.

States are required to hold digital images of each identity document for
between 7 and 10 years. The cards themselves will include all of the
standard elements found on most driver's licenses today and will be
machine-readable to allow for the easy capture of information from the
card.

As proposed, the Real ID Act is scheduled to go into affect starting May 2008.

States are not mandated to issue Real ID cards. However individuals would
need Real ID-compliant cards for air travel or for getting into federal
buildings such as courthouses and nuclear facilities or for receiving
federal benefits. Under the act, all state driver's license databases would
be linked with each other in one system with shared access.

The proposal to issue Real ID cards has provoked a firestorm of protest
from several quarters. Much of the concern stems from fears that the card
would become a de facto national ID system that would be hard to manage and
even harder to secure. There are also fears that the cards could eventually
be used for a wide set of purposes -- including surveillance by the U.S.
government.

The DHS committee comments echoed those concerns. The DHS draft
regulations, for instance, make no mention of a comprehensive plan for
securing the stored identity data that states around the country could use.
Neither is there any mention of specific steps that states need to take to
prevent the unauthorized access of information from the machine-readable
strips on the back of the proposed cards, the committee said.

On the privacy front, the proposed DHS rule does not make states
accountable for the personal data that they will be required to collect.

The rules also are silent on the issue of how states will respond to and
redress inquires and complaints about the use of personal information.

Similarly, the proposed rule does not require state agencies to tell
consumers about the data collection, the purposes for which it will be
used, or how it will be stored.

"Failure to provide openness and transparency undermines
accountability and trust," the DHS committee noted in its comments.

Similar concerns were expressed in comments submitted jointly on May 8 by
the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State
Legislatures, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
Those comments did express support for Real ID's stated goal of improving
the security and integrity of state-issued driver's licenses and ID cards.

But the proposed May 11, 2008, implementation date is far too rushed and
does not give states time to prepare for a proper rollout, the three
entities said in their comments. The letter reiterated earlier
recommendations from the group, including the need for a "workable
extension" of the deadline and additional money for states to
implement Real ID requirements. Without those changes, the measure is
flawed, they said.

Those concerns come on top of a litany of opposition from other quarters.

Just last week, a coalition of more than 40 privacy advocacy groups
launched a nationwide campaign to muster public opposition to the bill. In
addition, more than 30 states have expressed reservations with the Act,
with several such as Montana, Maine, Idaho, Arkansas, and Washington saying
they will not issue Real ID cards.

Several members of Congress have also expressed their opposition. Sens.
Daniel Akaka (D-Ha.) and John Sununu (R-N.H.) in February introduced a
proposal called the Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007 that
would correct some of the shortcomings in the Real ID Act. The bill's
cosponsors include Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

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