Big Brother's comin' to visit...

[Yes, I know there are several comments on prior posts that I haven't gotten to responding to. It's been a bad couple of days. However, this is important enough that I want to get it posted.]

I just learned that the supposedly theoretical RFID chip ID cards aren't so theoretical. The "Real ID Act" was included in the Military Spending bill which passed the House on May 5th and the Senate on May 10th. Bush signed it into law on May 11th.

If not repealed, starting in three years, we will all be required to carry a national, federal ID card in order to open bank accounts, travel on airplanes or participate in practically any government program (including Social Security).

Stored on this card will be name, birth date, sex, ID number, a digital photograph and address, in a "common machine-readable technology" to be determined by the Department of Homeland Security. Although this has not been fully specified, it is expected to be RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification). As I said before, this will mean that anyone with the proper reader will be able to steal all of this information out of your pocket merely by passing near you. The Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies could set up surreptitious readers throughout the country and keep track of who travels where.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, what the act does is create "standards" for state Driver Licenses, including a new national ID number. Proponents insist this makes it different from a Federal identification, but the inclusion of this new Federal ID number makes that difference moot.

This is REALLY scary. And it's not even as though we can just leave the ID at home, except in the cases listed above, because keep in mind, this will also be your state Driver License. If you operate your motor vehicle, you are required to have this with you. Is it that much of a stretch to imagine scanners set up along major highways to read the tags in every car that goes by? Is it necessary for the government to know if I decide to spend the afternoon driving down to Boston to see a friend?

Just be aware, this is no longer a theoretical, this is actual. This is a signed law.

Liam.