IDs prone to security vulnerabilities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON – Today, the Government Management, Organization, and Procurement Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on federal security that should shine a spotlight on bad security systems. It will address ID cards and other ineffective government programs.

"The need for today’s hearing further suggests what the ACLU has been saying all along: identification cards sound like good security systems, but in fact, they are prone to security vulnerabilities and invade the privacy of Americans," said Tim Sparapani, ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel. "Whether it is an employer verification system or Real ID, the federal government continues to bumble rather than bolster its mechanisms to maintain our security. The proposed HSPD-12 ID system, a post-9/11 standardized federal ID, is more of the same. Americans should not be required to give up their privacy in order to enter federal buildings, especially when the security benefits are negligible or non-existent."

Sparapani added, "No security system is impenetrable, whether it’s being hacked from the outside or infiltrated from within. Putting too much faith in such systems only leaves us more vulnerable. Congress should move cautiously when seeking to adopt additional identification security measures."