'No Matter How Deeply You Distrust the Government's Judgment, You Are Too Trusting'
December 15, 2005
9:28 p.m., MT

Astonishingly, that's a quote from a recent George Will piece, The Inalienable Right to a Remote. While that's a disgustingly worthy topic in itself, I can do it one better, thanks to a fellow CASPIAN staffer, who alerted us to a report titled Cyber eye: And the worst security idea of 2005 was ... I knew the Real ID Act was bad, but had no idea just how bad (all emphasis mine):

Under the law, the new cards must contain, in machine-readable format (read: digital), the holder's name, date of birth, address, ID number, signature and photo. The act not only fails to require any encryption or other security for data stored on the cards, but also mandates the creation of shared state databases of sensitive information with no security or access restrictions.

This is particularly disturbing given the type and amount of data the act requires states to gather on citizens. States must "capture digital images of identity source documents so that the images can be maintained in electronic storage in transferable format" for 10 years. Each state must provide all other states electronic access to this data.

The ability of any Tom, Dick or Harry with a card reader to capture a copy of your vital statistics from your driver's license is worrisome. The creation of unsecured databases containing digital images of your birth certificate and other documents is even more so.

Under the terms of this act, every bartender, bank teller or cop who swipes your electronic card is free to do as he or she pleases with the information that is captured. States are free to sell their databases to anyone for any reason, and even to access other states' databases and sell that data.

Remember, this is a database you can't -- at least, if you want to have any semblance of a typical American lifestyle, with job, bank account, driver's license, etc. -- opt out of. Now you know what that painfully full feeling in your ass is. Once again, it's the state reaming you without consent and without lube.

Sunni

Comments: 3 people have spoken!

On Saturday, December 17th, at approximately 7:25 p.m. Mountain time, Apesnake said:

The government seems to be willing to tolerate a much higher degree of risk than the average person is. This is disturbing since they are able to accept this risk with our own information.

On Saturday, December 17th, at approximately 7:29 p.m. Mountain time, Apesnake said:

Though Sony is willing to put us in an unbelievable amount of risk if they can keep one song from being pirated.

Is anyone buying Sony CD's anymore and would they please drop dead if they are?

On Sunday, December 18th, at approximately 6:11 p.m. Mountain time, Sunni said:

Hey, Apesnake, good to see you again. Yeah, amazing what the govcrats are willing to risk with our info, huh?

I think Sony's recent actions probably increased file-sharing overall. Probably not what they intended ...

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