New York Issues RFID-Encoded Drivers Licenses

JagsLive passes along the intelligence that New York has become the second state to issue drivers licenses with RFID tags (Washington was the first). The new "enhanced drivers licenses" cost $30 more than the old ones. They can be used instead of a passport for entry into the US by land or sea (not air) from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Authorities say no personal information will be stored or transmitted by the chip, only an ID number that will be meaningless to anyone but DHS. Citizens of New York who prefer not to carry an identifying RFID chip can still get an old-style license.

Comments

optional for how long?

[ruggerboy]

Reminds me of how several years ago blackberries used to be "optional" for associates at my law firm, and there was even a waitlist. That is until partners realized just how effective they were at keeping tabs on exactly where we were and what we were doing at all hours. Now they come standard issue with your welcome packet. Expect the same for new drivers pretty soon.

Re:optional for how long?

[morgan_greywolf]

In Soviet Russia, RFID chips come standard with YOU!!!!

remove the chip?

[jgarra23]

What are the legalities of defacing the ID by removing the chip?

Re:remove the chip?

[ypctx]

You get to pick from lifelong vacation on Guantanamo and having the chip implanted (early adopter, you then have to tell people you did that volutarily). They also take all your amero money and prevent you from leaving the North American Union. I assume since you dare to ask such questions on internet, you already are on the no-fly list, so they just add you to the no-boat and no-train lists. On the contrary, if you choose the implant, you get a free foreclosed home (left by someone who had chosen the Guantanamo) and bunch of empty credit cards, so you can start a new life without such mistakes. Happy days!

Not by air?

[Creepy Crawler]

What a waste then.

Why not just get a regular drivers license and a passport as two different pieces of identity.

Re:Not by air?

[nine-times]

I don't know... I'm tempted to question why a driver's license is used as ID in the first place. It's a license to drive a car, but people treat it like it's a universal ID and everyone is supposed to have one.

Why not your license to own a pet? Or... I don't know, your license to be a lifeguard? Your license to carry a gun?

Like why should having a license to drive be taken as proof of identity and authorization to leave/enter the country?

Re:Not by air?

[swimin]

Because its a convenient and commonplace ID, that is usually issued by every state in a form that also allows nondrivers to get one too.

Re:Not by air?

[FireStormZ]

ummm drivers license, not license plate... and a license is easier to lose.

Re:Not by air?

[profplump]

Unfortunately most states only allow you to get one or the other -- if you are licensed to drive you may not obtain a non-drivers ID.

Re:Not by air?

[Rob the Bold]

I don't know... I'm tempted to question why a driver's license is used as ID in the first place. It's a license to drive a car, but people treat it like it's a universal ID and everyone is supposed to have one.

Cause it's America. How did you get wherever you are to show your ID if not by car? But you do have a good point, and next time I buy beer I'm gonna pull out the dog license. Then again, the gun license might get free beer and an opportunity to witness my tax dollars at work.

Re:Not by air?

[camperdave]

My point is that we do it out of tradition and convenience, but not because it's any kind of a well thought out system.

That, and the fact that every time some sort of national ID card comes up people start screaming about infringing on rights, etc.

Re:Not by air?

[dwiget001]

Well, to answer you question:

Years ago, in California, you could have both, and I did for this reason:

1) If I lost my driver's license and only had it, I could not cash checks or do anything else (at the time) that required an ID.

2) With lost driver's license, I could A) get to the DMV, show them my State ID and easily get the replacement driver's license stuff done. I did not have a copy of my birth certificate at the time, and the one time I actually needed the State ID (having lost my driver's license) it came in very handy.

However, current state I live in, you can have only one or the other, not both. But, I have a passport now and copy of birth certificate as backups in case of losing driver's license as an ID.

Re:Not by air?

[extrasolar]

Also your driver's license is a photo ID that is registered by the government. But it doesn't bother me that much, and most places will accept other forms of ID, though not a pet license :) Usually military service cards will work.

But that doesn't bother me as much as social security numbers being universally required. Here's a hint for anyone who isn't aware: You really aren't required to hand over your SSN to anyone who asks. When I apply for a job I write in that I'll provide my SSN after I'm hired. But whenever there's a form you have to fill out for some reason that asks for SSN, make sure you ask what that number is used for and whether it's really necessary. "Just for documentation purposes" isn't a valid reason.

Meaningless?

[einer]

Meaningless to anyone but DHS until some nitwit with an unencrypted drive on their laptop leaves it in an airport lounge.

This is just monumentally stupid. Seriously. A monument is required to commemorate this epically stupid idea. I'm thinking a huge statue of a DHS lacky shrugging their shoulders. Preferably with an Alfred E. Neumann "What Me Worried?" look on their mug.

Re:Meaningless?

[megamerican]

Because then when the DHS lost their data it would not only include your name and address, but also a meaningless RFID serial number? I don't understand how this increases the threat of DHS stupidity.

Thanks to Bill Clinton and a Republican congress all SS#'s are in our drivers lisences.

Check out the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reform Act (known as welfare reform) passed in 1996.

The illegal immigration law prohibits the use of state driver's licenses after Oct. 1, 2000 unless they contain Social Security numbers as the unique numeric identifier "that can be read visually or by electronic means." (Section 656(b)) The act requires all driver's licenses to conform to regulations promulgated by the Department of Transportation, which published its proposed regulations on June 17. (Federal Register, vol. 63, no. 116, pp. 33219-33225)

Re:Meaningless?

[dave562]

OR BY ELECTRONIC MEANS. Have you checked the magstrip on the back yet?

Meaningless?

[McGregorMortis]

A Social Security number is "meaningless". It's just an identifier. But it's a number that uniquely identifies you, and if other people get their hands on it, or are able to spoof it, then than meaningless number can have adverse effects on your life.

How is this "meaningless" identifier any different?

A constant ID# is NOT meaningless...

[nweaver]

All someone needs to do is correlate your ID# with you (easy enough to do on many occasions). Once you have that, its no longer a meaningless ID number, but a unique personal tracking number.

Re:Residents, not citizens

[plague3106]

Actually they are; they yield only a portion of their sovereignty to the Federal government to keep the British at bay.

Microwave it?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's the consequence of getting the RFID one and just microwaving it?

Sure, you can refuse, but.....

[Stanislav_J]

Citizens of New York who prefer not to carry an identifying RFID chip can still get an old-style license.

And those who refuse will go right on the master list under "troublemaker/refusnik/something to hide/potential terrorist."

Hold on..

[aero2600-5]

"Citizens of New York who prefer not to carry an identifying RFID chip can still get an old-style license."

Wait a second here.. the RFID licenses are $30 more expensive than regular licenses, yet the residents have the option to get the cheaper RFID-free license? Who's going to choose to willingly pay more to be tracked more effectively?

Let me guess. The state isn't telling them that they can choose to get the cheaper older style of license? Brilliant!

Aero

Re:Hold on..

[DerekLyons]

Does the tinfoil go shiny side in or shiny side out? You sound like an expert and I can never remember...

Re:Hold on..

[Attila Dimedici]

"Citizens of New York who prefer not to carry an identifying RFID chip can still get an old-style license."

Wait a second here.. the RFID licenses are $30 more expensive than regular licenses, yet the residents have the option to get the cheaper RFID-free license? Who's going to choose to willingly pay more to be tracked more effectively? Aero

I don't know, maybe people who travel to and from Canada on a frequent basis who don't want to have to remember their passport?

Re:Hold on..

[camperdave]

Tinfoil hats act like parabolic reflectors. Everyone knows that the mind control beams come from underground fallout shelters built during the cold war. Why do you think there are manhole covers all over the place? Beware the mole-people.

Passport Card

[Rob the Bold]

I applied for a new passport this Summer, and it sounds like the new New York DL just includes a "Passport Card" in it. They're both for surface entry of the US from North American and Caribbean countries. The additional DL fee is $30, but a new Passport Card is $45, $20 if you already have a passport book. As such, privacy concerns would be exactly the same as with a new Passport or Passport Card.

You'd be Wrong

[mpapet]

1. All the talk about "tracking" is nonsense. An RFID anything has a range measured in inches normally. Stuff it in your wallet sandwiched in between more cards and it pretty much won't work.

2. $30 is about right after all is said and done. No one is getting rich making these cards. There's secure printing, personalization, etc.

3. What's the application though? If it is just border crossings, then do border crossings have the infrastructure to process a contactless card?

4. Accidentally leaving the card inside a microwave oven while you are warming coffee would harm the chip, so don't ever do that.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[Frigga's Ring]

An RFID anything has a range measured in inches normally.

I don't think you need to look further than Defcon to see the fun things you can do with RFID tags. In fact, if I recall correctly, at Defcon 13, they read an RFID token from at least 69 feet away.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[mpapet]

there have been several demostrations of people able to read RFID tags at a significantly greater distance with the right hardware.

And what exactly will they discover? Some long string of bytes that's all. What do the bytes mean? You watch too many movies where these bytes lead to some impossible story progression.

Well, obviously the border crossings have a scanner, otherwise what would the point be?

Are there scanners now? Are they compatible? That's a non-obvious question, but very relevant in the contactless world.

That's irrelelvant so long as the RFID is optional. And presumably by the time it is not optional, you'll actually *need* that tag in order to do things.

You make my point for me very nicely thank you. What are these magical uses besides border crossings? Do you understand that presenting the card without rfid functionality will be required at least in my lifetime? Does the State have access to the format of the bytes stored on the card? Again, you watch too many movies.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

An RFID chip Normally has a ranged of Inches
that is limited by the stock reader that is designed to normally work with it
Enter High gain receivers antennas , digital signal processing and a function called integration
with that, the data stream is No longer limited to inches.
With such a setup in minutes , It can read RFID chips very far away even miles away
We must think beyond normal and think about what the military, governments and bad ass terrorists can do.
An RFID reader is a radio transponder is normally very insensitive. However, with a good antenna and a well designed receiver and integrator it can be received very far away.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[Cajun Hell]

And what exactly will they discover? Some long string of bytes that's all.

A unique string of bytes. It's different for every person, but it's the same every time you read the same person, so you just need to tie it to identifying info once. Walk past a reader, buy something with debit card, and upload the tuple to a server. Now when you walk by a different reader, doubleclick knows who you are.

It's a cookie.

You watch too many movies where these bytes lead to some impossible story progression.

That would be Minority Report.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[tomz16]

And why does it have to be contactless for ANY of the proposed applications?

Am I the only one who fails to see the push for RFID in identifying cards? I've use my mastercard with RFID chip at the local supermarket. It's really NO more convenient than the magstripe... but it DOES open up the possibility that someone could clone my card from a few feet away!!! Furthermore, I don't see how this benefits the CC company. I've never had a magstripe on a credit card wear out before the bank sent me a new one (and I use my credit card at least once or twice a day)...

If you really are JUST storing an identifier on the drivers license, wouldn't a barcode or magstripe accomplish the same thing, AND be MUCH more secure? My current NYS drivers license has one of those fancy 2D looking barcodes. Isn't that sufficient for storing an ID number? If it isn't, then what about just printing another one of those. There's plenty of space! Not only would that be cheaper (hardware is currently in place), but it would also be impossible to probe from dozens of feet away!

Re:You'd be Wrong

[dotancohen]

In fact, if I recall correctly, at Defcon 13, they read an RFID token from at least 69 feet away.

That was only reported in the hope that there would be some sex-related joke to come out of Defcon. The real story is that they couldn't get more than 67' 4" out of it.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[Dr_Barnowl]

And what exactly will they discover? Some long string of bytes that's all.

And where that string of bytes travels. No longer do you have to present your license ; the RFID can be read at a distance. You don't need to know the format ; the number should be unique in any given system. All you need is to associate that number with the person.

Corporate? They'll scan you at the counter and tie your RFID to your payment card details or loyalty card. Now they know when you walk into the store, which aisles you hover around, which things to send you coupons for.

Once the corporates have the data it's only a matter of time before someone cracks it, steals it, loses their laptop on a train. Everyone will know your license RFID and your SS number.

Government? They'll know which buildings you walk into. Libraries, hospitals, police stations.

A contact card might have some technical issues, but you can't read it without the owners consent, unless you ping him down and rifle through his wallet.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[omnipresentbob]

Now when you walk by a different reader, doubleclick knows who you are.

Oh no. You mean there will be targeted ads for stuff we might buy? The world will turn into a real life Amazon.com or Netflix, "Hello, Bob. You bought lingerie, hand cuffs and black duct tape last time. Similar buyers also bought whips."

Re:You'd be Wrong

[NoisySplatter]

And then he realizes he was dreaming and the number on the card was arbitrarily assigned and isn't a social security number.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[ben2umbc]

Now when you walk by a different reader, doubleclick knows who you are.

Oh no. You mean there will be targeted ads for stuff we might buy? The world will turn into a real life Amazon.com or Netflix, "Hello, Bob. You bought lingerie, hand cuffs and black duct tape last time. Similar buyers also bought whips."

Thats funny, but that will be possible in the future. A system is possible using:

• video cameras or other form of biometrics sensing technology
• RFID
• and your frequent shopper or credit card

to

• identify you when you walk into the store
• know your past purchases
• items you may have picked up and looked at but did not purchase
• and know whether you prefer regular or low fat

It may be possible already, if not, then soon.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[dave562]

I hate to undo moderation, but the obviousness of this seems necessary to comment on. We're moving toward a police state and the infrastructure needs to be in place to facilitate it. Magstripes need to be passed through a reader and you can only scan people one at a time. If everyone has an RFID chip, you can scan a whole area at a time. Think holding pens and you're getting close. Think crowds at stadiums or other public venues. It's already illegal (at least in California) to not carry a drivers license with you. I imagine within ten years the police will have scanners on their cars so that during traffic stops they can more easily determine the occupants of a vehicle that they pull over.

Privacy is so long gone it's frightening. The "if you don't have anything to hide" meme has been swallowed hook, line and sinker by enough of the population that whole sale loss of privacy is the way forward from here. Once the system is in place its only a matter of time until it gets dragged into everything. Lets say you get into an accident but can't find any witnesses. I'm sure lawyers will be clamoring for access to the databases to subpeona potential witnesses. Too close to a murder scene? You'll be talking to detectives shortly. Living next door to a drug dealer? Oops, you were within 100 meters so you're a possible drug user according to the latest "proximity to potential criminality" algorithms.

Re:You'd be Wrong

[sexconker]

Here's a tip:
The credit card companies WANT their cards to be insecure.

They profit when someone steals your card, since most people don't notice, and thus fail to report it / report it in time. Most people don't remember what/when/what amounts they charged.

The illusion of security makes people less vigilant. When people are less vigilant, you can more easily steal from them and go unnoticed.

I can't find my credit card. Oh well, I'm not liable for fraudulent charges. 3 weeks later I still haven't found it, so I do the responsible thing and report it lost/stolen. They go through my list of charges since the time I estimate I bought it. Did I get pizza that week? I think I did...?

These 3 numbers on the back mean that no one can use my card online or over the phone without actually having my card. What? A lot of places store these numbers anyway, even though the point is to never store them? And a business doesn't even need those numbers to charge my card? Oh well, I only shop at places that don't store it and do require it! No thief would shop at a disreputable place.

Shops aren't allowed to verify my signature anymore? I can't be asked to sign for anything under $20? How convenient!

I signed up for Verified by VISA, yet no site in the world taps into it? One less password to remember!

That seedy looking waitress, who I gave shit to for the past hour, just took my credit card to the back? I'm sure she's trustworthy!

Now with RFID someone can read my card without it ever being out of my sight? I could have a kung-fu death grip on it and it'll still be read? Arthritis: 17. Me: 4!

Japan has this shit built into cellphones? They're always a step ahead! I hope I can at least get a mini copy to go on my keyring!

Resume clubbing in Canada

[kiehlster]

If your kids are going to college near the Canadian border, and they insist on paying for an "enhanced driver's license", you know they will be taking trips to Canada to go drinking. I can only imagine some money was shipped over from Canada to pay off legislators to approve this. Obviously there is no other reason to go to Canada, and who would fly over to go drinking anyway?

quite useful for upstaters Re:Not by air?

[damn_registrars]

I live in Upstate New York and cross by land into Canada at least 2-3 times annually. I would much prefer to not have to worry about my passport for those crossings, and this fits that need for me. Regular license + $30 is still quite a bit less than what I paid for my passport (or what I would pay for a replacement if I were to loose it).

Fake IDs just became easier

[Manip]

Considering how easy RFIDs are to fake and how much they want to automate authentication the technology will be easier to bypass than the old fashioned 3D hologram was.

People assume that just because its new then no bad guy will be able to figure it out... And that worked on Police Radios for like ten years before all the bad guys had scanners.

Security though obscurity at its worst. My 2c.

"Portion" my behind

[tepples]

[The several states] yield only a portion of their sovereignty to the Federal government to keep the British at bay.

"Portion" went out the window with the Supreme Court's expansion of the scope of "commerce among the several states" in Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111 (1942).

who will? plenty Re:Hold on..

[damn_registrars]

the residents have the option to get the cheaper RFID-free license? Who's going to choose to willingly pay more

Many people forget how many cities in Upstate New York are close to the border. I cross the border on average 2-3 times per year by car myself. Currently I have to carry my passport to get back in - if I could go back to just carrying my driver's license, I would be much happier. Loosing a driver's license is a pretty minor expense in comparison to loosing a passport - and driver's licenses are generally replaced quite quickly here in NY state.

You are already being tracked

[mpapet]

Worrying about the tracking boogeyman is ridiculous.

I'm not sure why you labor under the illusion that your activities aren't tracked now. Most of your activity is in one way or another and then packaged and sold to any willing buyer including Government entities.

Credit Score? Tracking
Medical Records? This is a murky area, but I'm sure the U.S. health insurance co's would love to trade patient health scores. No. HIPPAA didn't outlaw this.
Communication? Done. FISA, Telcos, NSA, Etc.
Debit transations? Tracking.
Other finance tracking? Done. It's called taxes.

There's lots of worthy things to contribute your personal energy to. This isn't one of them.

Re:Just an ID? There's a DB somewhere...

[Reziac]

And since when did Canada become the enemy?? it irks me no end that I, a birth-citizen of the United States, now need a passport (or equivalent, such as this ID) to go to and from a country that when I was a kid, you just walked or drove or flew across the border and the crossing guard (if any) would smile and wave and say have a nice day. Explain to me how ME and YOU waving around a trackable ID makes the U.S. any "safer"??

As to how it makes the U.S. boundaries more like the Iron Curtain, that needs no explaining. Komrade! Your papers please!!

Re:who will? plenty Re:Hold on..

[commodoresloat]

Loosing a driver's license is a pretty minor expense in comparison to loosing a passport - and driver's licenses are generally replaced quite quickly here in NY state.

It's true! Loose passports sink ships. Or something like that. So remember to tighten your passports, folks!

Re:Residents, not citizens

[morgan_greywolf]

I think you need to look up the meeting of the word "state."

I think you need to look up the meaning of the word "meeting". And possibly the meaning of the word "meaning." And possibly understand the difference in pronunciation between the letters 't' and 'n'.

Are you stupid?

[raehl]

A driver's license is used because it meets the requirement for government-issued photo-identification. You can also use a state-issued ID card any time you would use a driver's license EXCEPT for driving. It just so happens that most adults want to be licensed to drive, so if they need a driver's license anyway, there's not much point in ALSO having a state ID card.**

You can NOT use your pet owner's license card or your hunting license card (depending on the state and purpose, your hunting license might be acceptable) because they generally do not require as rigorous a verification of identity as a state ID or driver's license.

** Although I used to have a state ID card AND a state driver's license when I was younger and lived in IL so that I could still get in the bar when they cops took my license as bond for the speeding tickets. (Fortunately I've lost my youthful good looks*** and my lead foot and neither is an issue anymore.)

*** Ok, fine, the looks were never good, but they were at least youthful.

No problem

[bizitch]

"Popcorn 1" on the ol' nuker ought to take care of that

Re:Residents, not citizens

[arthurpaliden]

and even more to keep Bin Laden away....

Re:Please, Stop and Think

[XenoPhage]

Again, you assume you know how this works and rely on Minority Report/V for Vendetta moviethink. When the reality is so completely different I won't bother wasting any more time on it.

Yes, because we know that movie plots have never had a basis in reality. And books never predicted anything.. I mean, 1984.. what's up with that book? That'll never happen... ...

Right?

That's hilarious

[CustomDesigned]

So in the one instance where you *clearly* are not planning to drink and drive, you can't buy the liquor? Kafka lives on!

Re:Just an ID? There's a DB somewhere...

[beef curtains]

What's the difference between a border guard scanning an RFID chip in order to pull up all kinds of information on you, versus said border guard typing your name, drivers license number, and license-issuing state code into a search form to pull up said information?

This is mostly a rhetorical question, but I'd say the only difference is the amount you waste standing there as you watch the border guard hunt-and-peck your name, realize he mistyped your name, backspace-backspace-backspace, retype your name, (repeat with drivers license number) and hit enter.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, how does having all of your records linked to a code stored in an RFID chip really differ all that much from having all of your records link to your name/drivers license number?

That being said, I totally agree with your "theater of defense" comment...no amount of RFID chips, confiscated laptops, and cavity searches will do anything to prevent a highly-motivated terrorist from perpetrating whatever asshattery he's got in mind, especially when a bunch of armchair geeks like us /.ers can come up with workarounds in less time than it takes to vote in the latest /. poll.

Tight security at a Canadian border crossing? Sneak across the border via some dirt logging trail in northern Minnesota. Border guards confiscating laptops? Encrypt the doc & Gmail it to yourself as an attachment. TSA performing cavity searches? Don't hide stuff in your keister (or if you absolutely must hide stuff in your keister, stick to that logging trail in Minnesota).

The vast majority of people affected by stuff like this are law-abiding folks to whom the government wants to demonstrate: "Check it out, we're keeping you safe! These are your tax dollars at work! Vote Quimby!"

Actually he's right -- check out the REAL ID card

[soren100]

1. All the talk about "tracking" is nonsense. An RFID anything has a range measured in inches normally. Stuff it in your wallet sandwiched in between more cards and it pretty much won't work.

Until the next technology comes along -- then you can be tracked with all the range they want. But by then it will be too late to argue about it and you would just look like one those "tinfoil hat" types or a "conspiracy kook" if you questioned it. All Americans want to be tracked to help their government fight "terrorism", don't they?

3. What's the application though? If it is just border crossings, then do border crossings have the infrastructure to process a contactless card?

The application is -- you guessed it -- remote tracking. The newest U.S. Passports as of July of this year all have RFID chips in them as well. It's not perfect, but yet another baby step on the way to "total information awareness" on citizens, just like the East Germans had but without all the fancy technology. It's a pilot program, testing the waters regarding citizen resistance, and inching it into general acceptance. There was a huge revolt against the REAL ID program, so think of this as a "reboot" of that program.

4. Accidentally leaving the card inside a microwave oven while you are warming coffee would harm the chip, so don't ever do that.

That's right. As soon as they get enough of these things in circulation, you will need them to get on airlines, go in government buildings, or maybe pass "illegal immigrant checkpoints". If your RFID chip was disabled, that might mean that you are an illegal immigrant, or a terrorist, or that you just like standing in long lines and being searched thoroughly.

The REAL ID program would have gone into effect on May 11 of this year, except that it was such a tremendous threat against the rights of our citizens that many states openly revolted against it. The REAL ID was an "enhanced drivers license" and you would have needed it to get on airplanes or enter government buildings nationwide by now. The Department of Homeland Security had a deadline of May 13 of this year, and yes, they were planning to put an RFID chip in the REAL ID card as well. Google it -- it's everything that you are arguing that this identical program is not, and it was a planned nationwide program before it got derailed.

Businesses WILL abuse it

[markdavis]

If the card can be read without my permission, it will be. They try it now, even though it has no RFID. All it takes is cross-referencing the number to be very dangerous.

I "accidentally" damaged the barcode on my licence AND one of two digits of the printed number on the front. And for this exact reason. I will give you one of MANY real-world (actually happened to me) examples why:

I tried to return a shirt to a store s: store m: me

s: We will be glad to offer you an exchange or refund. We need to see your ID.
m: Here is my driver's license to prove I am who I say I am.
s: (looks at license and IMMEDIATELY starts keying my number into the register)
s: Oh, your number is damaged, could you please tell me the missing digits.
m: Sorry, but you need to verify who I am. I didn't give you permission to record my number into a computer.
s: But we have to have it to prove we saw your ID.
m: Um, having the number doesn't really prove anything.
s: But we have to have the number.
m: No you don't- you have to know I am who I say I am, now you know. My name matches the receipt. You do not need to record my DRIVER'S LICENSE number to return a shirt at a retail store.
s: But the license is invalid.
m: No it isn't. You can see the picture. The watermark is intact. My name and address are on the card. It is not expired. I paid money for it. I passed the required tests. I assure you, it is authentic.
s: But what if you get pulled over by the police?
m: Then I will happily tell them the number. If I refused, it would be no different than if I didn't produce my license at all. If I lied (which I would not do), they would know immediately, also.
s: Well, it is our policy, so I can't offer you a refund or exchange without the number.

Get the idea? And what happens when your "ID" is used to get into a club? Or buy alcohol or whatever? They have need to verify my age, not record my identity in some computer that can then be searched, stolen, cross-referenced, whatever. With RFID, the problem is even worse- your info could be recorded into a database without even knowing it. You will have NO control over what is done with the information or how long it is retained.

The only way to protect your privacy is ACTIVELY, it cannot be done by trusting others will do the right thing. Privacy has nothing to do with "if you have nothing to hide" and everything to do with "what MIGHT you lose".

MISINFORMATION!!

[Jane Q. Public]

I looked into this further. Washington is indeed issuing "enhanced information" licenses... but that information is printed in a pixel code on the back of the card. It is NOT RFID!!!