Ellison's ID Card Plan Gets More Attention

fredbox writes: "A Mercury News article reports Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and John Ashcroft have been meeting to discuss creation of a national ID database including fingerprints, facial scans, etc. Other supporters include Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy. They claim these cards would be 'voluntary', much as the act of leaving your home or purchasing groceries are voluntary activities." Update: 10/18 01:48 GMT by M : Hah! btempleton writes: "Here is a prototype of Larry Ellison's new national ID card."

Comments

How do we build a 'negative' database?

[Nonesuch]

One of the issues that comes up often in discussing firearms purchase controls, is how to provide a mechanism to deny access by prohibited persons, without inherently building a database of all the lawful purchases and purchasers?

The basic premise of 'National ID' systems is that if we build a database of all law-abiding trustworthy citizens, anybody who does not exist in this database must be a 'prohibited person'.

This premise is also one of the biggest dangers of a national ID, and the primary objection raised by civil libertarians and the ultra paranoid.

The 'Brady Bill' background check law was written with a safeguard- all records of 'successful' checks were to be deleted. In reality, the Clinton administration ignored this limitation, holding records indefinitely.

The same sort of behavior can be expected regarding any safeguards built into a 'National ID' system.

Re:What the hell for?

[BrianH]

I guess that quite a few of the hijackers were here on expired work or tourist visas. By linking INS information to the national ID card program they could have caught this. Wouldn't you have been a little suspicious if four or five people who were in the country illegally all tried to board the same plane together? The FBI/CIA/NSA/Homeland Defense could also have the ability to flag people with known associations to hijackers. Several of the S11 hijackers WERE previously known to be associated with al Quaeda, and the intelligence community had been keeping loose tabs on them while they were here. Although being "associated" with a hijacker isn't illegal and isn't grounds for detainment, a computer might catch a few of them trying to board a plane together and notify airport security to perform an extra-close security check when they try to board.

Re:driver's license argument

[unitron]

"Yep, the war against terrorism will be over shortly."

Uh-huh, right after the war on drugs.