Featured Course: Understanding American Combat Experiences in the Vietnam War |
The events of 11 September 2001, and later disclosures of how the suspected hijackers used driver's licenses acquired with fake credentials to hide their identities, have stimulated calls for greater controls and national standards on drivers licenses. Proponents believe mandating tight uniform rules for driver's licenses will prevent criminals from hiding their true identities and reduce incidences of identity theft, which have increased recently. Privacy advocates, however feel driver's license standards will lead to a defacto national identity card, which will erode individual privacy even further.
Senate hearings explore weaknesses in current system
In mid-April 2002, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs held hearings on the need for nationwide standards for drivers licenses. In a background paper for the hearings, the committee, chaired by Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, noted that "State-issued driver's licenses have become the most widely used form of personal ID verification today. But in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, it is becoming clear that one weakness in our national security infrastructure is the lack of an effective system to verify the personal identity of people in our country. Every state currently maintains its own unique policy and procedure for issuing driver's licenses. Some states require a close scrutiny of the applicant's background, while other states' lax procedures invite abuse and fraud."
The committee's background report concluded, "Enhancing the process by which driver's licenses are issued, and improving the security of the cards to make them counterfeit-resistant, will not only assist in the domestic combat against terrorism, it can also help prevent under-aged people from purchasing alcohol and tobacco products, keep problem drivers off the streets, and provide law enforcement with tools to fight identity theft."
Stealing more than just one's identity
One of the witnesses, Theodore Wern, gave a graphic description of the problems caused when one's identity is stolen. Wern testified that he was victimized by an identity thief for four years, in which time the perpetrator established fraudulent credit and committed other financial crimes that cost Wern about $48,000. The thief, using Wern's stolen driver's license, was charged with four different violations of driving while intoxicated, and even used the fake identity during subsequent judicial proceedings. The perpetrator has since been arrested and is serving hard time in an Ohio state prison.
Wern noted that nationwide standards for driver's licenses will not solve the entire problem. He cited incidents where police officers who stopped the identity thief for the DWI violations accepted the identity on the stolen driver's license even though the perpetrator's physical characteristics differed dramatically from those given on the license. As Wern said in his testimony, "What good is a validly issued driver's license if an identity thief can use the information contained in that driver's license to commit crimes with impunity?"
