New Congress, New National ID Proposals

The new Congress came roaring out of the gate yesterday, with more than 350 new bills introduced. That should be enough for an entire two years, but they’re not likely to stop there.


Among many other subjects, Congress will consider creating “a secure Social Security card.” The idea is to protect seniors from identity theft, and the author of this legislation no doubt intends not to create a national ID. But the reality is that this would be a nationally uniform card made secure with a nationally standardized biometric, and it’s very likely that it would be administered with a national biometric database. That’s a national ID system, and it is a profound threat to American liberty.


You can learn a bit about identification and identification policy in my book, Identity Crisis.


Congress has also already seen a bill to mandate electronic employment eligibility verification. That can only be done through a national identity system, as I articulated in my paper: “Franz Kafka’s Solution to Illegal Immigration.”


And here’s a bill that would do both.


Welcome new Congress! Now go home.