Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself

Privacy

Real ID – Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 without a hearing.  In addition to many other problems, Real ID poses great threats to the privacy of all Americans.  The Real ID Act, in effect, creates a national ID card and requires all states to connect their databases so as to allow access by all states and the federal government to the personal information of millions of people. Since before the act’s passage, the ACLU has been a leading opponent of the program.  In Idaho, during the 2007 legislative session, we worked with a group of legislators, Republican and Democrat, to introduce House Joint Memorial 3.  HJM 3 basically sends a message to Congress and the President that Real ID is a bad idea and that it should be repealed.  Before HJM 3 was voted on in both the House and the Senate, we organized a panel of experts, including; Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU’s Technology and Privacy Project, Jim Harper, Director of the CATO Institute’s Privacy Policy Studies, Jeremy Meadows, Trade and Transportation Policy Director of the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Bill Bishop, Director of the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, to discuss the various problems with the Real ID program.  The panel was a success and HJM 3 passed the House unanimously and also passed the Senate.  Idaho is the second state in the nation to reject Real ID, with 25 other states at various stages of doing the same.  We have also been advising Governor Otter as to the pernicious effects of Real ID.