REAL ID IN DANGER

By M.S.Welles

The Real ID Act was signed in 2005 and requires states to follow a single national standard for identifying and authenticating individuals who apply for drivers licenses. It's specific about the technical and process requirements involved.

From the beginning the Act has met with widespread criticism. Privacy advocates claim that by adhering to the Act a hard to manage and hard to secure national ID card would result.

One stated major concern is the intention to link all state driver's license databases via a data sharing hub.

Additionally, most states have refused to comply stating that it's an unfunded federal mandate.

Now, the Real ID has lost most of its steam since the U.S.Senate recently slashed 40% or $40 million from the previously allocated $100 million for Real ID.