The theocon Senate is up to its usual tricks to get rid of privacy and to gut the Constituion. In the midst of another “emergency” combat spending bill, Senators buried approval of Real ID, a national ID card that will be issued by the Department of Homeland Security. (The bill passed easily.) This card (built on “smart card” technology) will, at a minimum, carry the follwing info:

  • name
  • date of birth
  • sex
  • ID number
  • a digital photograph
  • address
  • a “common machine-readable technology” that DHS will determine (i.e. a form of encryption)

CNET’s News.com has a brief but good FAQ about Real ID and its ramifications.

Needless to say, Real ID has raised the hackles of many, including the ACLU, EPIC, EFF, and over 600 other civil rights and citizen advocacy organizations. Bruce Schneier, an expert in security technology, wrote a wonderful and informative piece about the folly of Real ID. Newspaper editors have also come out against Real ID, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Another good analysis of Real ID can be found at Common Dreams.

The Senate attached this rider to the funding legislation to avoid a floor debate and vote on the measure, which likely would have been struck down on its own. The House of Representatives already passed a form of Real ID legislation this February, and President Bush is bound to sign the funding for the troops without batting an eyelash about Real ID.

I hope the ACLU and other organizations band together to combat this legislation in the courts. It’s certain that this will end up in the Supreme Court at some point, and let’s hope that none of the so-called “activisit” justices decide to retire before then.