States to Track Drivers Through Licenses

CptSternn · 12-29-2007, 02:07 AM

http://thenewspaper.com/news/21/2133.asp

A federal program promotes driving license technology that allows the tracking of motorists even when they are not driving.

Electronic monitoring of motorists will soon expand dramatically as states including Arizona, Michigan, Vermont and Washington begin to use radio frequency identification (RFID) chips in drivers' licenses. These electronic chips broadcast the identity of any card holder to any chip-reading sensor within a minimum of thirty feet. The US Department of Homeland Security is promoting the tracking projects as part of its Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

"Multiple cards can be read at a distance and simultaneously with vicinity RFID technology, allowing an entire car full of people to be processed at once," a DHS fact sheet on the Passport Card technology explained.

So-called enhanced drivers' licenses are designed to meet the DHS travel document requirements. Enhanced card holders will be allowed to travel across the border without a passport when new regulations take effect in January 2009. The enhanced licenses electronically store the motorist's name, date of birth, height, weight and identity number on the card. RFID readers use the identity number to access additional private information from a department of motor vehicles database.

Although the licenses will initially be offered on a voluntary basis, the National Motorists Association suggests that it will not take long for the program to become mandatory.

"The federal government just incentivizes their proposal so that each state, and by extension its citizens, feel like they have no choice but to go along with their program," the NMA stated today.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) warns that the move is another step toward a national identity card.

"DHS, Arizona, Vermont and Washington are creating these new ID cards in order to change the state driver's license in to a federal border security identification document," the EPIC website explained. "The license is pulled away from its original intent -- to ensure driving competence -- and used as a multi-use federal identification document that could easily be transformed into a national identity card."

Not every state is sold on the idea. The California State Senate voted in April to ban RFID drivers' licenses. The bill passed an Assembly committee by a 9-5 vote in July.

CptSternn · 12-29-2007, 02:15 AM

Yeah, I also added this to the 'big brother' thread under politics, but thought it might be interesting enough to share under NEWS.

CptSternn · 12-29-2007, 02:18 AM

For those not familiar with the technology - they can read an RFID tag from almost a mile away now - and they are working on reading them from satellites - meaning they can track you, as well as see who is in your car even before they pull you over, as long as you carry your ID.

That being said, many states, including Virginia, require ALL passengers in a car to carry ID - either driving license, passport, or state issued identification card - else you can be imprisoned for failing to carry ID.

So, it looks like the US is now going to force everyone to carry mandatory tracking devices, which they can monitor from anywhere.

ZyklonB · 12-29-2007, 12:39 PM

Damn good thing I live in California. But sooner or later, it will probably get around to us...

Delkaetre · 12-29-2007, 02:14 PM

Hang on, *weight*?
What's one of the things that most commonly fluctuates? Half a year, and you can be half or twice the size you were, rendering that little fact useless.

Don't like it. Don't like the way people keep trying to force RFID cards on people, particularly given how STUPIDLY unsafe that technology is. Anyone who gets a reader (and let's face it, it will not take long for people to work out to how to make them at home) will able to steal important personal data from anyone with such a license or passport.

Crying_Crimson_Tears · 12-29-2007, 02:22 PM

Great, and I live in Vermont too.

Lapin · 12-29-2007, 02:43 PM

Hmm.

See, I already carry a similar card, a military identification. It contains all that information and much more, including my mother's maiden name, my grandmother's middle name, etc. If the bar code on the back is scanned, the MP who is scanning it knows everything about me. It even has my social security number on it.

But with that card, I have full access to the base I live on, minus things that require higher clearance such as NSA buildings and the EPA buildings. I cannot get on base without that card, as it verifies my residence and right to be on the base, or any base.

It cannot be tracked from space though...

That said, I do not have a state ID, nor do I plan to get one. I move too often to go down to the MVA and wait for an hour or so just for a card that is not nearly as good as the one I already have.

If the law passes in my state, or in a state I move to, I will leave the country. I am not being tracked every second of my day, thank you very much.

However, I can see how this would come in handy. It could be used to track felons and suspects.

emeraldlonewoulf · 12-29-2007, 11:29 PM

This shit scares the crap out of me. Really. How far does it have to go? So now if I don't want my info freaking broad casted to any hacker who can build a freaking scanner, I don't carry my drivers' license with me. Which means, if I'm driving, that I'm breaking the law. Which, in turn, means I can be arrested. "Papers please." Fucking hell. Hopefully Nevada retains SOME common sense. Glad i don't live in Arizona any more.

UnSeenEvil · 12-30-2007, 02:37 AM

I'm sure there will be a way to block the signal from the card, aluminum foil wallets or something. If it's a chip, or a scan bar you can take a knife to it so it can't read it fully. What are they going to do to you, you still have your ID on you.

Drake Dun · 12-30-2007, 03:25 AM

Three cheers for California. Also one of the few states that implements a measure of actual democracy through an initiative system.

West SIDE.

Drake

emeraldlonewoulf · 12-30-2007, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnSeenEvil

I'm sure there will be a way to block the signal from the card, aluminum foil wallets or something. If it's a chip, or a scan bar you can take a knife to it so it can't read it fully. What are they going to do to you, you still have your ID on you.

they'll probably make it illegal to deface the frigging things, kind of like it is illegal to destroy money. And christ, does it have to come down to aluminum foil wallets? I'll feel like one of those crazy UFO people who wear aluminum foil hats to blocks the alien rays. better than nothing, i guess.

CptSternn · 12-30-2007, 11:57 AM

RFID can be blocked with aluminum foil. That being said, I'm betting once this gets enacted and cops start pulling over people who don't show up in their car on their ID reader, they will enact new laws making it illegal to interfere with the RFID, seeings how that directly impedes what they are trying to do.

Actually, since your actively blocking the signal which the police are trying to read, you technically are already interfering with a police during his duties, which is illegal in every state.

Heh - the funny thing is at DefCon last year they showed that hackers could use readers to copy RFID's and reproduce them on other RFID chips, meaning you could go to the mall, read a tonne of ID's, then go home and make fake ID's with other peoples RFID information. You could use that to really incriminate someone.

Better yet, this gives a whole new meaning to the word 'stalker'. Stalkers could buy RFID readers and sit in their car and follow their victims from a healthy distance, almost a mile away, without ever being noticed.

The_Terror_of_Death · 01-03-2008, 07:06 PM

To be honest, I would block the RFID even if it was illegal. If I had to, I would go to jail for it as well. Then when I got out I would just say f*** you and go about my business.

emeraldlonewoulf · 01-03-2008, 10:41 PM

not to put too fine a point on it, but have you ever been to jail? It isn't exactly cake. But as far as that is concerned, for the basic principle behind something like this, I would go too. Hell, I've had to go for something similar anyway.

CptSternn · 01-04-2008, 04:47 AM

It's pretty bad when people have to choose between being imprisoned, or having the government track your every movement.

Anyone still think the 1984 references are 'too much'?

The_Terror_of_Death · 01-04-2008, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emeraldlonewoulf

not to put too fine a point on it, but have you ever been to jail? It isn't exactly cake. But as far as that is concerned, for the basic principle behind something like this, I would go too. Hell, I've had to go for something similar anyway.

Well, I haven't ever been to jail. However, regardless of how bad the conditions in jail, I would still do it for my rights.