Are YOU Ready for a National ID Card?

ACLU of Northern California Action Alert
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Dear ACLUNC Supporter,

Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security released new guidelines for compliance with the
REAL ID Act, which would create a national ID card and poses significant threats to civil
liberties. Read on for more information about REAL ID and how YOU can help stop it!

What's Wrong with REAL ID?

* It's a national identity system. The standardized national
driver's licenses created by Real ID would become a key part of
a system of identity papers, databases, status and identity checks and
access control points an "internal passport" that will increasingly be
used to track and control individuals' movements and activities.

* It will not be effective against terrorism. The fact is,
identity-based security is not an effective way to stop terrorism. ID
documents do not reveal anything about evil intent and even if they
did, determined terrorists will always be able to obtain fraudulent
documents (either counterfeit or real documents bought from corrupt
officials).

* It will be a nightmare for state governments. Real ID requires state
governments to remake their driver's licenses, restructure
computer databases and other systems, create an extensive new
document-storage system, and perhaps most difficult of all verify the
"issuance, validity and completeness" of every document presented at
DMVs.

* It will mean higher fees, long lines, and bureaucratic nightmares
for individuals. Because Congress ordered but did not pay for these
mandates, which will cost states billions of dollars, fees on
individuals applying for driver's licenses will inevitably rise,
perhaps steeply. Individuals are also likely to confront slower
service, longer lines, and frequent bureaucratic snafus to obtain ID
cards. Many unlucky individuals will find themselves caught in a
bureaucratic nightmare as they run up against the complexities of this
law.

*It will increase security and ID theft risks. The creation of a single
interlinked database as well as the requirement that each DMV store
copies of every birth certificate and other documents presented to it
will create a one-stop shop for identity thieves.

* It will expand over time. The Real ID database will inevitably become
the repository for more and more data on individuals, and will be
drawn on for an ever-wider set of purposes. Its standardized
machine-readable interface will drive its integration into an
ever-growing network of identity checks and access control points each
of which will create new data trails that will in turn be linked to
that central database or its private-sector shadow equivalent.

What YOU can do:

The Real ID Act has been passed by Congress as part of a "must-pass"
appropriations bill and signed into law by President Bush. But its
acceptance in the states is far from assured. More than 20 states have
introduced or passed legislation opposing implementation of REAL ID.
Maine was the first state to pass legislation opposing REAL ID, and
the Houses of Representatives in Vermont, Wyoming, Montana, Utah,
Idaho and New Mexico and the Georgia and Arizona Senates have each
voted in favor of bills that reject Real ID, and Montana's
legislation would prevent the state from implementing the law. New
anti-Real ID legislation has since come up in other states, including
Kentucky, Washington and Missouri. Check the status of anti-Real ID
legislation in the states here - http://action.aclunc.org/site/R?i=R4WVFrC9OAqs7h81armC-g..

We need you to tell Governor Schwarzenegger that you don't want
California to support legislation that threatens civil liberties.
Follow this link to write Governor Schwarzenegger a letter urging him to
oppose the implementation of REAL ID-

http://action.aclunc.org/site/R?i=X1VeBDt2ik99o5r6nv2OAA..

If you have not done so already, I invite you to become a proud
card-carrying member of the ACLU, and to encourage your friends and
family to visit our new website and sign up for our online
communications.
http://action.aclunc.org/site/R?i=F5KhsS5WIu3Ha3z-Ug7zJQ..
http://action.aclunc.org/site/R?i=aXg_LRJqzIbN56vRmuAUng..

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Maya Harris

Executive Director, ACLU of Northern California



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Our Mission:
The ACLU of Northern California works to preserve and guarantee the Bill of Rights for all,
through litigation, public education, organizing, lobbying and legislation. Protecting freedom
of expression, the right to privacy, and the right to be free of discrimination are fundamental
goals of the ACLU.


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