anti:freeze

I have been writing (and sometimes screaming) about the brave new world of RFID, surveillance, and electronic databases for years, and most people either shrug, declare me insane, or claim we (the people) possess no power to influence the future.

Folks, you have to start paying attention, because while you were sleeping, our so-called representatives slipped the Real ID Act into a military appropriations bill. If you want your Social Security number, biometric data, driving record, and other personal information linked up to a national database, then you will be happy. If you want anyone with a basic magnetic strip card reader to have access to all this information for their own malicious use, congratulations: today is your lucky day.

Here is what ACLU has to say about Real ID:

"The federalization of drivers’ licenses, and the culling of all information into massive databases, creates a system ripe for identity theft. New standards could place our most private information - including photographs, address and social security numbers - into the hands of identity thieves. Worse still, an independent commission is currently studying the issue of license security, and, if enacted, Real ID would undermine their efforts."

Oh, and by the way, Real ID requires data to be readable by standard card readers, which means any retail store could demand to swipe your ID and mine it for information. Or maybe worse: Any common thief could steal your wallet and read the card on a DIY machine or stolen/purchased reader. Can you say Identity Theft Jackpot?

As if this were not bad enough, some states are considering RFID tags on licenses. Meaning: the state could someday (once readers are installed all over the place) track and log every step you take.

But why would it matter? You ask. After all, you never commit crimes, right?

Consider these recent security breaches:

*In November 2004, a hacker broke into University of Kansas servers containing medical information. (Think: Social Security numbers, insurance records, biological data, AIDS test results, etc.)

*Early this year, hackers peeped into George Mason University servers and spied names, Social Security numbers, and photographs. Victim count: 30,000 students.

*In March 2005, Northwestern University fell prey to a hacker who downloaded names and passwords for 21,000 students, faculty, and alumni of the business school.

*185,000 current and former patients of San Jose Medical Group were exposed when thieves snatched computers.

*98,000 people lost their private data when someone stole a laptop at University of California at Berkely.

*Choicepoint , a data aggregator that "compiles in-depth dossiers of personal information on almost everyone," sold data to "businesses" that turned out to be totally fake. The identity thieves who set up these phony businesses got their mitts on data for approximately 145,000 people. All they had to do was pay the fee.

*Bank of America lost computer backup tapes with information on over 1.2 million customers - credit card numbers of US Senators included.

*Hackers busted into the Lexis Nexis Seisint database, and as many as 310,000 people are at risk for identity theft as a result: Social Security numbers, names, DMV license information, and addresses leaked like oil on the information superhighway. How nice.

It is enough to make me want to move to California , where at least RFID may soon become illegal for IDs, and where consumers have the right to put a security freeze on their credit reports - whether they are identity theft victims or simply wish to keep their information more secure.

**Update: I got the links fixed. They were not working before - sorry!