WATCHINGTHEWATCHERS–Policy.PDFVIP

WATCHING THE WATCHERS – Policy Report #1 (February 2002) “YOUR PAPERS, PLEASE: FROM THE STATE DRIVERS LICENSE TO A NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM” An Assessment of the Proposal of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) to Transform the State Drivers License into a De Facto National ID Card SUMMARY New technologies can reduce the risk of counterfeiting and fraud. It is also appropriate The American Association of Motor Vehicle for the state Departments of Motor Vehicles Administrators (AAMVA) Special Task Force (DMVs) to implement improved document on Identification Security has issued security measures to prevent forgery. However, recommendations that would turn the state EPIC opposes AAMVAs move to standardize driver license into a de facto national ID card. drivers licenses, to collect more and more The proposed scheme, analyzed in detail below, invasive personal information, and to expand the seeks federal legislation to require all states and information sharing capacities of DMVs. other jurisdictions to conform to uniform standards for driver license eligibility, proof of This proposal has all the elements, risks and identity, license content and document security. dangers of a national identification card system. It would facilitate greater information sharing The only distinctions between the AAMVA between jurisdictions and with state and federal proposal and other National ID proposals agencies. It seeks to reduce fraud by encoding rejected in the past are that (a) the card will not unique biometric identifiers on licenses and be issued by the federal government but by state strictly enforcing prohibitions on credential motor vehicle agencies under mandatory federal fraud. But the biometric identifier would also regulations, and (b) the drivers license and enable new syst