REAL ID Fright Fest 2015, Oklahoma Edition

Kaye Beach | Oct. 6, 2015

The headlines are scary.

Vaguely worded policies issued by the federal Department of Homeland Security and sensational headlines have allowed misconceptions about the actual consequences of not having a REAL ID to grow.

The very worst possible consequences of not having not having a REAL ID card are actually quite minimal.

To refresh your memory- the REAL ID Act was passed with little to no debate in Congress in 2005 as a rider to a ‘must pass’ military and disaster relief funding bill.  The most controversial portion of the law imposes federal standards upon state driver’s licenses and ID documents.  And contrary to media reports, the REAL ID Act does require the collection and digital retention of every driver license applicants’ biometric facial image.  This fact is acknowledged by the National Conference of State Legislatures as well as other policy professionals so you don’t have to take my word for it.

The biometric and other personal information is required to be shared among the states and is accessible to the federal government.
The consequences for having a REAL ID are far more disturbing than the consequences for not having a REAL ID  which can be summed up like this; Someday, if you do not have a REAL ID compliant driver’s license or one of the umpteen acceptable alternatives, the TSA will look you up in their database to make sure that you are really you and you may be subject to a secondary screening which generally means you will be asked to either go through the naked scanner or get a pat down and they will look in your bags. That’s about it so why are we being treated to this over the top fright fest?
Because fear is one of the only tools DHS has to get the states to comply

Jim Harper at Cato explains:

Right now, the Department of Homeland Security is sending out emissaries to tell state leaders that their residents might soon feel the TSA’s wrath. State motor vehicle bureaucrats and pro-national ID groups are joining them in the effort to herd state leaders over the national ID cliff.
But the threat of TSA enforcement is an empty one. REAL ID “deadlines” have come and gone many times. No state has ever come into compliance with REAL ID. No state will be in compliance in 2016. And the TSA will not begin a program to prevent Americans from traveling by air.

The adoption of the REAL ID standards is (by law) is voluntary for the states. This is not a mandate so implementation can only be accomplished gradually by persuading (or intimidating) the states into compliance. Since the law is so controversial (not to mention convoluted and costly!) states have little incentive to adopt the REAL ID standards.
No one really seems to want a REAL ID — unless they think that the consequences for not having one might be dire.

“. . .by requiring Real ID-compliant licenses to board commercial aircraft, the law could put a lot of public pressure on states to issue licenses that meet its standards.”
Source: USA Today, Real ID is slowly changing state drivers’ licenses, Jan. 22, 2014

Oklahoma has been granted an extension by the Dept. of Homeland Security. An extension means that the state’s driver’s license and ID cards will be accepted just as if the ID was fully REAL ID compliant.
From the Dept. of Homeland Security, REAL ID Enforcement in Brief:
“Individuals holding driver’s licenses or identification cards from these jurisdiction may continue to use them as before.”
The jurisdiction referred to are states where their licenses have been “(1) determined to meet the Act’s standards; or (2) that have received extensions.”

This means that Oklahoma ID’s are acceptable for flying, entering specified federal buildings and entering a nuclear facility, 3 of the four “official purposes” that will require a REAL ID.  There are FOUR official purposes that require a REAL ID but I have yet to hear the media cover the fourth purpose even once.

The REAL ID final rules require a REAL ID complaint driver’s license or ID card for certain specified “official purposes” (defined in Sec 201 of the Act.)
#1 Entering Federal facilities
#2 boarding a Federally-regulated commercial aircraft
#3 Entering a nuclear power plant
and
#4 Any other purpose established by the Secretary of Homeland Security
(Real ID Final Rules http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2008-01-29/pdf/08-140.pdf)

The fourth official purpose is what a good friend of mine refers to as the “dictator clause”  It means just what it says.  The Secretary of Homeland Security can add any other purpose he or she wisher.  No congressional review – no nothing.  Would it bother you if you were required to present your biometric national ID for say….ammo?

That fourth purpose could come in handy for just about anything that needs to be monitored, rationed or controlled.  Ask Oklahoma media to cover THAT!

The DHS will be reviewing the progress of states that have received extensions this month. I predict that Oklahoma will be granted another extension.

On Dec. 29, 2014, the Dept. Of Homeland Security extended the deadline for enforcement upon states that have an extension or are deemed compliant with REAL ID until Oct. 1, 2020. Oklahoma appears to exempt from enforcement until 2020.

In the worst-case-scenario, one where the DHS refuses to grant our state and extension and we become subject to enforcement in order to board a plane “no sooner than 2016,”  it’s still not going to be a big deal for Okies.

Not once has it been publicly asserted by the Department of Homeland Security or the TSA that not having a REAL ID compliant license would ever be a basis for denying a person the ability to board a commercial aircraft or that a U.S. Passport is the only accepted alternative to REAL ID
Clarifying statements have been made by DHS officials though, they just aren’t the ones that make the headlines.
For example, Darrell Williams, former Senior Director, Office of State Issued ID Support, Department of Homeland Security, testified before a Congressional subcommittee that there are a variety of identification alternatives to a REAL ID and that not having a REAL ID compliant license will not prevent a person from boarding a plane. He went on to say to say that even individuals with NO FORM OF ID at all can still be permitted to fly.

Mr. Williams as the former Director of the REAL ID program for the Department of Homeland Security with (which directs the Transportation Security Administration) is very familiar with the policies of both agencies. No publicly available official statement on the matter of REAL ID and boarding a federally regulated commercial aircraft refutes Mr. Williams’ testimony.

Here is the TSA’s list of preferred ID documents:
• Driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents, and DoD civilians)
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• DHS-designated enhanced driver’s license
• Airline or airport-issued ID (if issued under a TSA-approved security plan)
• Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation worker identification credential
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

Here the TSA goes into a bit more detail regarding its identity verification procedures:

“TSA prefers that passengers use an acceptable ID at the checkpoint and only publishes the acceptable forms of primary ID, such as a driver’s license and passport on its website. However, we understand that, due to extenuating circumstances a passenger may not have an acceptable form of ID when attempting to travel on a commercial aircraft. Therefore, TSA has alternate means to verify identity in order to allow a passenger to travel and may rely on a variety of government-issued documents, commercial databases, and other agencies to verify passenger identity. The alternative means to establish identity are not published on the website in part because TSA prefers that passengers use acceptable ID.

The TSA website informs passengers that, if they do not have acceptable ID, they can alternatively provide additional information and undergo additional screening in order to be cleared. Specifically, the website informs the public that: “If you are willing to provide additional information, we have other ways to confirm your identity, like using publicly available databases, so you can reach your flight.”
(TSA response to congressional inquiry Aug. 7, 2014
https://www.scribd.com/doc/237497624/TSA-Doc)

No one is going to have to get a passport or be barred from flying due to the REAL ID Act.

This press released today by the Oklahoma Senate certainly sounds dire.

Can you imagine if people were unable to enter the Social Security office?  What if you were asked to appear in Federal Court and you don’t have a REAL ID?  What would happen?

Apparently nothing.

REAL ID Act of 2005 Implementation: An Interagency Security Committee Guide
Aug 2015, Interagency Security Committee
“…there is no requirement to produce a REAL ID Act compliant ID to enter a Federal facility for accessing health or life preserving services (including hospitals and health clinics), law enforcement (including participating in law enforcement proceedings or investigations), participating in constitutionally protected activities (including a defendant’s or spectator’s access to court proceedings, access by jurors or potential jurors), voting or registering to vote, or applying for or receiving Federal benefits…”
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/isc-real-id-guide-august-2015-508_0.pdf

According to the Department of Homeland Security–
REAL ID does NOT apply to the following:
• Entering Federal facilities that do not require a person to present identification
• Voting or registering to vote
• Applying for or receiving Federal benefits
• Being licensed by a state to drive
• Accessing Health or life preserving services (including hospitals and health clinics), law enforcement, or constitutionally protected activities (including a defendant’s access to court proceedings)
• Participating in law enforcement proceedings or investigations

There is too much fear, uncertainty and doubt being pumped out by the media and state officials for me to address in just one post so expect more posts soon.  Until then – don’t let them scare you!

Help Me Stop Mandatory Biometric ID!

Kaye Beach

Dec. 9, 2013

My name is Kaye Beach.  If you don’t know me, here is the short story;  I’m an ordinary woman, a Christian, a mom, and a wife.  I was a small business woman for about 20 years but for the last six years I have been an activist with one mission – to stop mandatory biometric ID.

I have filed a lawsuit against the state of Oklahoma to challenge the requirement of my biometric data in exchange for a state driver’s license.  I believe that this requirement is a violation of my right to religious freedom and my right to be free of unwarranted searches and seizures both of which are protected under Oklahoma law.  (You can read my Motion for Summary Judgment here)

Biometric means “measurement of the body.”  This is technology is used to measure aspects of an individual and transform this personal data into digital code for the purpose of identification.  With biometrics, your body IS your ID.

Biometric identification creates a perfect connection between our bodies and information about us.  It is also used to control access to places, services and goods and it is being implemented around the world through deception, coercion and stealth.  Industry experts predict that within five years, the majority of the world’s population will be enrolled into one or another biometric identification scheme.

The simple truth is that all of us are being enrolled into a single, global system of identification and control that links our bodies through biometrics to our ability to buy sell and travel (and more!)

My lawsuit is based on the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act and Article II Sec. 30 of the Oklahoma constitution, our state’s reiteration of the Fourth Amendment which says we have a right to be free of searches and seizures without just cause. When it comes to biometric ID, It makes no difference whether you are a Christian who is preaching the Gospel, an activist protesting injustice, or merely an ordinary person trying to work and feed your family – mandatory biometric ID means ultimate control by government.

Information is power.

As more and more of us are enrolled it is safe to predict that the balance of power that exists between the people and their governments will correspondingly shift further away from the people and towards government.  History shows us that, unerringly, that such power will be abused and the window of opportunity to resist this system of human identification and control is closing.

In the US, enrollment is being accomplished largely through state driver’s license and ID cards.  For example, the current Immigration reform bill seeks to build upon the existing DMV biometric databases and use our biometrics to control our ability to work for a living.

And as Jennifer Lynch of the Electronic Frontier Foundation has testified,

‘The FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) database represents the most robust effort to introduce and streamline multimodal biometrics collection.  FBI has stated it needs “to collect as much biometric data as possible . . . and to make this information accessible to all levels of law enforcement, including International agencies.” Accordingly, it has been working “aggressively to build biometric databases that are comprehensive and international in scope.”’

The state biometric DMV databases are the foundation for corporate and government tracking and control. This is why I am fighting the state’s mandatory biometric ID but I need your help in order to win.

The Constitutional Alliance writes, “Kaye Beach’s lawsuit, is the only substantial challenge to government mandated biometric ID, to my knowledge, that exists anywhere in our country.”

My lawsuit is challenging the compulsory nature of biometric ID.  I want to know – do we have the right NOT to be enrolled?  That is the question that has not been asked, that must be asked in a court of law, and this is why I am asking for your help.  We have one more deposition to complete and then the case should proceed on to the courtroom.  My legal representation is not free and my case will only go forward if people are willing to support it.  I need to raise $20,000 for my legal fees in order to keep my agreement with my legal team and keep my case moving forward.

There are no longer any technical or political barriers to implementing this unprecedented system of global identification and financial control. The only obstacle now is you and I. 

If you want to help me win this first, crucial fight against mandatory biometric enrollment I ask you to please consider contributing whatever you can, to my legal fund.

If you wish to donate to my legal defense fund, you may do so online  through Paypal.com
By US mail, you can send a check or money order to;
Kaye Beach
P.O. Box 722381
Norman, Oklahoma, 73070

(Please make the check out to “Kaye Beach”. You may write “legal defense fund” in the memo section of your check or money order)
Thank you and God Bless,

Kaye Beach

Follow the developments in my legal case at http://constitutionalalliance.org

Contact me at AxxiomForLiberty@gmail.com

The Immigration Reform Bill – Prodding Forth Real ID, an INTERNATIONAL Biometric ID

Kaye Beach

May 14, 2013

On May 10^th The Blaze ran a headline that asks; Is There a Scary Biometric ‘National ID System’ Tucked into the Immigration Bill?

The answer is YES!

But wait!  There’s more. . .I sometimes feel like I am belaboring the point but it seems to me the distinction between a national and INTERnational biometric identity system is a very important one.

Study that graphic up there.  It is the simple three step recipe for a single, global biometric identification system.  Read this post then look at it again and see if you can grokk what I’m telling you.

The federal Real ID Act of 2005 imposed federal guidelines that use international standards on state driver’s licenses and ID cards.  You may remeber that at least 25 states said no to Real ID by passing either a law or a resolution against the implementation of the Real ID Act.  Nevertheless, Real ID has continued to be implemented in most states to various degrees.

“By the deadline of January 13, 2013, most states will be substantially or materially or fully compliant with REAL ID” —Janice Kephart, Feb. 2012

It is important to note though, that ALL states are capturing and storing applicants’ digital facial images.  And although not all of the states are actually using this facial biometric as intended by the Real ID Act, eventually they will be.   The immigration reform bill (S.744, the ‘Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act’) will make sure of it.

In case you missed it, now, when you apply for a state driver’s license, a state identification card or any other form of government issued photo ID really, you are having your facial biometrics captured by a high resolution photograph.  High resolution digital cameras capture, map, digitize and database our facial features for the purpose of use by facial recognition technology.

Facial recognition technology enables remote identification and tracking through networked camera systems without our knowledge or consent.  As a matter of fact, facial biometrics is the governments biometric of choice because it can be used to identify and investigate us at-a-distance without our knowledge or consent.

Pay close attention here: This digital image on your state driver’s license or ID card is, by definition, a biometric.

The standard specified in the Real ID regulations for your state driver’s license and ID cards ensures that the digital facial image is facial recognition compatible.  That standard is the adopted standard of the ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the UN.

(Want more information?  Read REAL ID – BIOMETRIC FACT SHEET)

International standards exist for one purpose;  to enable the global sharing of that information.

“REAL ID is. . .the current face of a far larger, international government and private economic effort to collect, store, and distribute the sensitive biometric data of citizens to use for the twin purposes of government tracking and economic control.” -PA Rep. Sam Rohr

Real ID is technically voluntary for the states.  What the government has always intended, is for Real ID to be practically mandatory for the citizens.  This is why the threat hangs over our heads that if we do not have a Real ID card by a certian date, we will not be able to fly or enter a federal building.

“In the future, only those state issued Driver Licenses and  Identification cards which are fully compliant with the REAL ID act of 2005 will be authorized for use as identification for official federal
government purposes, such as boarding commercial aircraft and entering  certain regulated federal facilities.” Alabama DMV-STAR ID

The road to Real ID compliance has admittedly been a rather slow and arduous one but the Immigration Reform bill (S.744, the ‘Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act’), if passed, will put a stop to any state foot dragging on Real ID because citizens will have to have it in order to work!

 A Real ID compliant driver’s license is specifically named as one of the acceptable ID documents in the bill (but all ID documents specified in the bill are biometric ID’s.)

To be perfectly clear – with S.744, producing your government issued, internationally standardized biometric ID is mandatory.  You will not be able gain permission to work without it. 

In authoritarian societies you must always have permission.

Forget privacy.  That is not what this is about.  This is about the balance of power between us and our government.  This is about control.  If we wish to retain control over our own lives, we will not accept government serializing of our bodies and we won’t allow the government to turn our rights into privileges

The Sec. of the Dept. of Homeland Security also has the option to add any other biometric or security feature as a requirement for those who wished to be employed so facial biometrics is the minimum biometric requirement but iris scans, fingerprints, or any other biometric could be required as well.

The new comprehensive immigration reform bill is not the first step in enrolling US citizens in the global biometric identification system.  The first step was that every government issued ID (especially the driver’s license) captured and collected your biometric data and that that data was collected in accordance with international standards.  The second step is to share your biometric data, to connect databases so that they can get that data flowing freely from the state and local databases on to the federal ones and eventually into global data systems.

One other important step in this global system of identification and control is to make sure we have to produce our global biometric ID for everything.  Or at least everything that we do that government wants to track and control.  And don’t forget that with biometric ID, your body IS your ID.  It’s the databases and not the card we should be focusing on.

Here are a few more facts about the bill as drafted;

Requires ALL potential employees to be authorized to work through the Dept. of Homeland Security.  Even If you are already employed when the proposed law goes into effect, you still will have to go through this authorization process.

Authorization hinges upon biometric identification.  Biometric data, including but not necessarily limited to, digital facial image, is required.  Real ID compliant driver’s licenses are cited as one acceptable form of biometric ID but the bill leaves the door open for the Sec. of the Dept. of Homeland Security to add other security requirements as he or she see fit.

The immigration reform bill requires employers to use a “photo tool” to verify the identity of each employee.  The term ‘photo tool’ is simply a euphemism for facial recognition software that will be used to match the facial biometrics provided by the potential employee to a federal database.

Where will this federal database come from?  I asked this question of Mark Lerner, co-founder of The Constitutional Alliance,  the leading expert on biometrics and the Real ID Act.

Here is his reply:

 “The answer will come in the Rulemaking process. There are two possible scenarios. In either scenario the “key” will be the photos stored in state DMV databases. Whether it will be DHS requiring employers to send photos to DHS and DHS having direct or indirect access to state DMV photo databases or whether DHS will require the photos the employers uses to be provided directly to states for the states to compare to photos in the state DMV database remains unclear. I also believe it is clear DHS will get the photo regardless.”

Access to the biometric data held in state DMV databases will be a must. 

There are reasons I have been having a fit trying to get my biometric data OUT of the state Department of Public Safety database.  I think this bill goes a long way in making my argument for me.  Read more about my lawsuit against the state of Oklahoma for the unwarranted collection of my biometric data here.

There is more to this bill to be concerned about  For instance,  the unconstitutional lack of due process.  Every person must prove they are a US citizen before they can work.  If the system says you do not pass muster, you are required to be terminated from your job at the end of an administrative process.   Will have more info on this and other issues soon.

Michigan Rep. Raps Real ID Cheerleader

Kaye Beach

March 2, 2012

Janice Kephart, Director of National Security Policy with the Center for Immigration Studies put out her yearly progress report on Real ID.  Real ID opponents fairly bristled at the glowing portrayal she gives of the highly unpopular biometric identification card scheme.

We know that 25 states passed either a law or resolution against implementing the Real ID Act but if you read Ms. Kephart’s report, you might wonder just what all the fuss was about since she claims that,

“Overall the report finds that there is substantial compliance sought across the board by all states and territories. . .”

Michigan Representative, Paul Opsommer, answers back,

“We do not see ‘tremendous value’ in pursuing ‘REAL ID standards’ as this report attempts to assert,” said Opsommer. “These are state policy positions we are pursuing on our own, irrespective of REAL ID.”

Janice Kephart is so dedicated to the Real ID cause that she even dropped by my little blog recently to reassure readers that

“There is no national ID here. Not even close.”

What a relief!  After years of study and worry about Real ID being a national, no!  An international ID,  to be precise, I can finally rest easy because I have it on good authority that Real ID is no such thing by Ms. Kephart.

Sarcasm aside, at least Kephart is not trying to hide the hated Real ID behind the cute little star that is gracing the face of state driver’s licenses that meet the federal standards imposed by Real ID which would indicate to most that their Real ID or  “STAR ID” card, is indeed a national ID. Some of  these same astute Americans will tell you that the national standards imposed by Real ID  on state driver’s licenses and ID cards, are also international standards leading them to the conclusion that not only is Real ID a national ID, it is also qualifies as an international ID as noted by a knowledgeable reader of AxXiom For Liberty in his response to Ms. Kephart,

International standards, international organizations and an international organization named a “hub” and “backbone” in the Final Rules issued by DHS in January 2008, HMMM!

Janice Kephart’s progress report on Real ID, while it is a very helpful guide for loyal opponents to the Real ID Act in helping to flush out the state’s that have either followed the will of the people or betrayed them by forging ahead with the Act that was formally opposed in 25 states, also does a grave disservice by claiming achievements for Real ID that it doesn’t deserve as Rep. Opsommer illustrates in his response to Kephart’s ‘REAL ID Implementation Annual Report‘

Opsommer: Real ID implementation report shows major portions of law no longer needed.

Michigan State Representative and House Transportation Chair Paul Opsommer (R-DeWitt) said that a recent report put out by the Center for Immigration Studies, titled the ‘REAL ID Implementation Annual Report’, misrepresents the notion of ‘compliance’ and actually makes the case that the federal law that would turn driver’s licenses into national ID cards is not needed.

“We do not see ‘tremendous value’ in pursuing ‘REAL ID standards’ as this report attempts to assert,” said Opsommer. “These are state policy positions we are pursuing on our own, irrespective of REAL ID.”

Before REAL ID was passed in Washington by dubious methods, there was already a negotiated rule making process going on with the states to make sure they were not giving driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, and that licenses were made out of tamper-resistant materials from secure card production facilities.

“REAL ID not only repealed that process, but did so in a way that creates a national ID card that puts unelected federal bureaucrats permanently in charge of wireless computer chip, facial recognition technology, fingerprint, and foreign data sharing decisions,” said Opsommer.  “For cheerleaders of this national ID card campaign to highlight that states continue to pursue secure standards on their own, even in those states that have not authorized REAL ID or have passed laws opposing it, as somehow indicative of mass acceptance or compliance is nothing more than a public relations gambit.”

read more

Spingola Files: One Woman’s Willingness to Stand-Up to Orwellian ID Act

Kaye Beach

Feb 4, 2011

Respected former detective weighs in on biometric ID case

The very best law officers have one thing in common; they want to get the bad guys and protect the innocent.  But what happens when the tools offered to law enforcement to get the bad guys also threaten the innocent?   This is not a new dilemma for law enforcement but with the myriad of changes taking place in recent years on both the legal and technological front, it must be an incredibly tricky one now.

Steven Spingola is doing something very important.  He is opening a dialog on issues that desperately needs an airing among those who swore an oath to serve and protect the people of the United States.

Spingola is a former Milwaukee Homicide Detective, an author and nationally recognized investigator whose excellent reputation proceeds him.  He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, a death investigations expert, a police shooting reconstruction expert and is formally trained in investigative analysis.  (Read more about Steven Spingola)

This former detective is truly is an investigator to his core.  Not satisfied with accepting anything at face value he is examining issues at what must be an uncomfortable intersection for anyone involved in law enforcement.

At his blog site, The Spingola Files, Steve wrote an article about my efforts to defend against biometric ID by filing a  lawsuit against the state in Oklahoma.

I continue to heartened by the positive feedback I have received from members of law enforcement and am most grateful to Steve Spingola for his courage in bringing issues such as this to the fore.

From The Spingola Files, Feb. 4, 2012

One Woman’s Willingness to Stand-Up to Orwellian ID Act

When Oklahoma native Kaye Beach sought to renew her driver’s license, she refused to comply with that state’s version of the Real ID Law.

In Oklahoma, and throughout 26 other states, including Wisconsin, the one digital photo taken at the counter will no longer suffice.  Instead, applicants are required to submit to several photos, including a full body profile.

When Ms. Beach declined to acquiesce to the new array of photographs, officials from Oklahoma’s version of the Department of Motor Vehicles denied the renewal of her driver’s license.  Predictably, a time came when Ms. Beach had a traffic related law enforcement contact, at which time she was cited for driving without a valid operator’s license.

But instead of simply walking like a sheep to the slaughter to renew her permit, Ms. Beach fought to have her citation dismissed and then filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Oklahoma’s Real ID law.

http://constitutionalalliance.org/work/article.php/20110910201040513

Why is Kaye Beach making such a fuss? After all, what is so difficult about submitting to a series of photographs?

Read More

The Dark Side Of Biometrics: 9 Million Israelis’ Hacked Info Hits The Web

BY Neal UngerleiderMon Oct 24, 2011

 

Biometrics are the next big thing in government and homeland security. But the recent theft of the personal information of 9 million Israelis living and dead–including the birth parents of adoptees and sensitive health information–could have big ramifications for foreign governments.

Authorities in the Middle Eastern country announced the arrest on Monday of a suspect responsible for the massive data theft. He’s a contract worker at the Israeli Welfare Ministry who was allegedly engaged in small-scale white collar crimes after-hours and who is accused of stealing Israel’s primary national biometric database in 2006. He had access to the database, which is part of the country’s population registry, through his office

The stolen database contained the name, date of birth, national identification number, and family members of 9 million Israelis, living and dead. More alarmingly, the database contained information on the birth parents of hundreds of thousands of adopted Israelis–including children–and detailed health information on individual citizens.

Read more

 

India’s Biometric ID: Optimism beats evidence

Kaye Beach

July 23, 2011

Biometrics for identification is not working as advertised and the word is getting out.

A few months ago on AxXiom For Liberty Live,  we spoke with David Moss, IT Specialist, Researcher and longtime campaigner against the UK’s biometric ID scheme.

“Optimism beats evidence in the drive to fingerprint the world” according to David Moss.

David’s work proves that India’s plan to bio metrically identify and number 1.2 billion of India’s people is bound to fail.  India’s ID card scheme – drowning in a sea of false positives by David Moss

This article, Aadhaar: on a platform of myths, published in The Hindu on July 17, 2011,  attacks “three big myths” about India’s biometric ID (called Aadhaar).

The author, R. Ramakumar writes;

It is said that the greatest enemy of truth is not the lie, but the myth. A democratic government should not undertake a project of the magnitude of Aadhaar from a platform of myths. The lesson from the U.K. experience is that myths perpetrated by governments can be exposed through consistent public campaigns. India direly needs a mass campaign that would expose the myths behind the Aadhaar project

Myth #3 deals with the enormous amount of errors that this system would produce.

There is no doubt that the system is unworkable and contrary to the governments expressed desire to use the ID system to help the people, this plan would actually cause hardship for many of the people enrolled.

Who really benefits from mass enrollment in India’s biometric identification system, Aadhaar?  It is NOT the people!

Please share this information and help India get the mass campaign they need to expose and stop this awful program from being forced upon them.

Aadhaar: on a platform of myths

The Aadhaar project, just as its failed counterpart in the U.K., stands on a platform of myths. India needs a mass campaign to expose these myths.

. . .The experience with identity cards in the United Kingdom tells us that Mr. Blair’s marketing of the scheme was from a platform of myths. First, he stated that enrolment for cards would be “voluntary”. Second, he argued that the card would reduce leakages from the National Health System and other entitlement programmes; David Blunkett even called it not an “identity card,” but an “entitlement card.” Third, Mr. Blair argued that the card would protect citizens from “terrorism” and “identity fraud.” For this, the biometric technology was projected as infallible.

Read more

My Real ID Reckoning

Kaye Beach

June 28, 2011

As of Feb. 28^th 2011 my Oklahoma biometric driver’s license became invalid.  I have been cited for driving with an expired license and I am going to court.

I was concerned when I first heard about the push for a national ID card which preceded the REAL ID ACT of  2005.  At the time I didn’t know much about biometrics but what I did know is that a national ID is the hallmark of a totalitarian society and despite our government’s denials,  REAL ID without a doubt qualifies as a national ID.

“We are, after all, for the first time in our history actually creating a national identification card with all the ramifications of that.  That is what the Real ID law did.”—  Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

I later found it is actually much worse.  REAL ID is an international biometric ID.

For the crash course in biometric ID read Biometrics 101-Your Body IS Your ID

Shortly before REAL ID had actually been passed into law states, including Oklahoma, in anticipation of its passage had already purchased biometric capturing technology. I was shocked when the DMV clerk told me that I must submit to a finger scan.  Who doesn’t associate being fingerprinted with criminality?  I balked but was told no scan-no drivers license.  At the time I had a small child, my own business and countless tasks to accomplish every day that would be very difficult if not impossible to meet without a valid license so I grudgingly complied.  I had no idea that it wasn’t just my fingers that they were scanning.  The old cameras had been replaced with high resolution digital cameras that capture, map and digitize our facial features for use with facial recognition technology.

My good  friend, Howard Houchen, speaks to our natural and healthy gut reaction to ID schemes like Real ID in an article he wrote called the The Id Passes on Pass ID.  He’s talking about instinct.  My first reaction to Real ID was an instinctive one but after several years of studying the scheme and biometric identification in general, I have come to oppose it intellectually, practically, philosophically, morally and spiritually as well.  It is simply a terrible idea and a dangerous imposition on any nation.  It is worth noting that this plan is, right now, being imposed around the globe, in every nation.

When you know something is dead wrong what do you do?   Well, if you are like me you do everything you can.  You lobby.  You try to educate others and especially your elected representatives.  You support good, protective legislation and oppose the bad.   You write letters, organize rallies and events, you talk till you are blue in the face.  You do everything you can think of and you give it everything you got.

I, along with many thousands of other dedicated people have done everything we can to deter this country from implementing such a dastardly plan on the American people.  I am very sad to say that we have not achieved our goal.  The opposition comes from individuals and organizations that span the political spectrum.  Mass enrollment into a global biometric identification scheme is a repulsive idea that has jarred this country without regard to political affiliation.

Many state legislatures did their part too.  26 states have passed either a law or resolution prohibiting participation in Real ID and yet, as recently reported by the Heritage Foundation (who is not opposing but supporting the policy)

 “At least 32 states are close to REAL ID material compliance, while a total of 44 states and territories have indicated that they fully intend to meet REAL ID compliance.”

It is right about here that all of the activism seems like a terribly elaborate exercise for what comes next.  After all of the talking, writing, lobbying, fretting and gnashing of teeth the most important stand I could take felt more like a whisper than  a shout.  It’s not that I never thought about what I would do if our government could not be brought to its senses.  I always knew that if it came down to it, I was not going to just roll over and comply.  I have a child and to just give up and leave her with the legacy of government control by cataloging and monitoring people through an international biometric ID is just  not an option for me.

This past February I was getting ready for a trip and took a look at my license.  It was to expire on the 28^th of that month.  Good, I thought.  At least I will be able to fly this time with no trouble (unless you count running the TSA gauntlet as trouble, which I do!)  But I knew at that moment I would not be renewing it.  The end of the month was the end of the road for me and Real ID.

The states are obviously not going to protect our rights so it is up to us now.  At the end of the day, isn’t it always up to us?

All of my thinking has been done and my decision was made over the years  by each incremental inch of ground gained  toward full implementation of Real ID.  What to do on February 28^th was less a decision for me to make than simply a day of reckoning for me.

I did ask myself what I stood to lose and what did I stand to gain by my refusal to participate in this human surveillance and control scheme.  Practically, I stand to lose a lot.  I have already been refused my prescription for having an invalid ID and my access to places, items and events is closed or uncertain without a “government issued photo ID card”.  I imagine I will encounter more and more difficulty as time goes by but this is small stakes compared to what we all have to look forward to in the very near future.

Once the fight is finally over and the biometric identification plans are fully implemented those who refuse to be enrolled and will not carry a “government issued photo ID”, will essentially be viewed as invalid, non-persons, unregistered.  Furthermore their invalidated status will be a red flag rendering such persons especially suspect by a government that demands its right to know all about everyone at all times.  Where did our government get such a right?  They got it from us.   Our complacence is compliance and as far as they are concerned that gives them permission and therefore the right to scan our body parts and use those measurements as a personal tracking number.

The ones that do comply won’t be much better off really.   Their government issued biometric ID will allow our government to keep tabs on their every transaction, their travel, their habits and more. This biometric identification system puts our ability to access our daily necessities at their pleasure.  Will such an all powerful government choose to be a benevolent father?  History does not give one much hope that it will.

Recently, I was stopped and given a citation for driving with an expired license.  As a person who has made a conscious effort to respect the law, it is an odd turn of events that I would think of this as a good thing,  but it is.  It means that I will have a chance to air my grievances in court and that means that there is a chance that the law might find something compelling about this grievance.

I am going to keep fighting this.

If you think that this is a good fight, I am asking for your help.  I won’t be coy; this is going to take money.  In fact, it may take lots of it and that would be a good thing because it would mean a real battle and the only chance that one small act of disobedience could become something more meaningful.

If you wish to donate to my legal defense fund, you may do so online or the old fashioned way if you prefer by sending a check or money order to:

Kaye Beach

P.O. Box 722381

Norman, Oklahoma, 73070

(Please write legal defense fund in the memo section of your check or money order)

The Constitutional Alliance has been an invaluable source of accurate information and guidance for me.  I am pleased to have been invited to join their Board of Directors in 2009 and recommend that those who want to know more about biometrics and biometric identification plans visit http://www.constitutionalalliance.org/ for more information.  I owe this dedicated group of people a debt of gratitude for encouraging me to put my trust in God and take this fight all the way.

I have said it before and will say it again.  With biometric ID, we may resist it now or resist it later but without a shadow of a doubt; we will all resist it at some point. For me, that time is now.

‘Biometrics Skeptics’ AxXiom For Liberty Live Friday April 29 6-8pm CST

Listen Live to AxXiom for Liberty Radio Friday April 29 from 6-9 pm CST on Rule of Law Radio Network

(see show notes here)

The threats to our liberty and autonomy posed by biometric identification and national (even international!) identity cards have been amply covered by this blog and millions of other sources.  These concerns about the deleterious effects of biometric identity schemes on individual freedoms are justified but what has not received nearly enough coverage is the nuts and bolts of the technology itself.   Does biometric identification or verification of identity really work well enough to justify the investment that nations around the globe are making?  Biometrics for identification purposes have been promoted as a solution for just about every problem that vexes government today…Identity theft, fraud, illegal immigration and of course, terrorism, just to name a few.  Who are the corporations that are vested in selling this technology and can they back up their claims?

On Friday April 29^th from 6-8 pm CST we are pleased to bring together two of possibly the most credentialed critics of the biometrics industry to be found.

David Moss has nearly 33 years experience in IT and has spent over eight years researching and campaigning against the UK Home Office’s biometric ID card scheme.

In 2009 David Moss posed this question to the public;

“If our last two prime ministers are to be believed, and our last five home secretaries, the solution to all the problems of crime detection, counter-terrorism and the delivery of efficient public services is … biometrics. They’re certainly labelling our money into biometrics. But no one ever asks, do biometrics work?”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/nov/01/biometrics-home-office

As of late David Moss has been focused on India’s Unique Identification (UID) project that endeavors to bio metrically identify and number 1.2 billion of India’s people. David Moss is a biometric skeptic and for good reason.

Mark Lerner, another well respected biometrics expert and critic of biometric ID in the US, joins the conversation. At one time Mark Lerner believed that biometric technology like fingerprinting, facial recognition, iris scanning, could valuable tool for protecting our nation and traveled the country promoting its use.  But he soon discovered that the Biometrics industry was engaged in many reprehensible acts.  Mark provided solid evidence of these misdeeds to the US government but the results of that investigation never made it to Congress or the public. For the past 6 years Mark has been speaking out about what he knows testifying before many state legislatures and assisting lawmakers in nearly two dozen states in writing legislation designed to protect citizens from ill-considered uses of biometric and similar technologies.

This is a must hear discussion that will deliver information and covers aspects of biometric identification rarely touched by the mainstream media.

David Moss

http://dematerialisedid.com

India’s ID card scheme – drowning in a sea of false positives BY David Moss

http://dematerialisedid.com/BCSL/Drown.html

Mark Lerner, the Constitutional Alliance

http://constitutionalalliance.org

The Internet ID: Do we have any say in it?

by David Gomez | Sat 15th Jan 201

It’s been called the “Trusted Internet ID” scheme by some observers. It won’t matter what we choose to call the government’s proposed Internet licensing system because in the end we probably won’t have a say in it.

Earlier in the week we reported that the US Department of Commerce was preparing to create an Internet ID for all Americans. White House Cyber security Coordinator Howard Schmidt said that the Department of Commerce is “the absolute perfect spot in the US government” to build an online “identity ecosystem.”

Right off the bat I can tell you that attempting to force people to identify themselves on a national level doesn’t have much to do with the Department of Commerce’s official mission. We should all be feeling skeptical about this ID scheme.
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