The law requiring States to follow the Federal ID issuance was passed in 2005 by Congress. The 9/11 Commission created it, and it set minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting state licenses and ID cards as official documentation. This applies to Federal buildings, nuclear sites, and any travel done by air. Homeland security states explicitly that a Federal identification database is not being built with the information. They insist each state is in control of its license, records and they control access to those records.

 

The idea governing the Real ID requirement was intended to make ID cards more uniform. Each state had its layout and information, making it difficult to legitimize. By making each state's ID identical, they will be easier to read. The Real ID applicant must have a photo ID is taken, documentation of their birthdate, documentation of their social security number, documentation for any name change, and proof of residence.

​

Even though homeland security insists that they are not building a database, one of the requirements of the Real ID is that the states must agree to share their data with other states. The only system with the capability of doing that was developed by AAMVA and Cierus Solution under contract with state Motor Vehicle licensing agencies funded by federal grants. A key component of the state to state communication is the State Pointer Exchange Services. This is a central national database of "pointer" information about Real IDs. Also, new compliance rules will mandate the sharing of data with provinces in Canada and Mexico.

​

The concerns about the Real ID center around the idea of a national ID card that could facilitate tracking and assault privacy rights. The photo is taken with facial recognition software to allow for cameras to use this technology to find people. A citizen's birth certificate and social security card will be on a database at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. All of the states will be linked together, and the federal government will have full access. Anytime homeland security could make them into an official national database with just a simple rule change. It is limiting access unless there is compliance. Others have suggested that it could be a way to establish a national gun registry. The opt-out option could also be removed with a simple rule change.

​

If we continue implementing new forms of identification, it could lead to the day where you are identified with a microchip implanted in your body. They are currently utilizing RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification Device) chips for this exact purpose. They use electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached to objects. These chips are implanted under the skin and could be used for personal identification, law enforcement, storing of your medical history, allergies, medical information, or contact information.

​

Microchips were first widely used in Britain, starting in 1998. Like the United States, Britains implanted them into their animals. Now the possible uses have grown. Some chips can perform an on-demand drug release. The chip contains hundreds of reservoirs with a milliliter of a drug. Then they can remotely administer the dose. It makes it easier to remember medications and could be good with difficult patience where drug abuse is a worry. It has also been suggested that the chips could be used to monitor athletes to avoid drug usage. It could also be applied to drug addicts.

​

Currently, they are most commonly used for building access and security. In 2006 City Watcher, inc was the first company to require employees to have implants. However, these chips are very hackable. They can be obtained and cloned with a handheld device. In 2010 Dr. Mark Gleeson became the first human to become infected with a computer virus. There is no guarantee that your information in the chip is safe.

​

These privacy issues are at the core of the public skepticism of the chips. Creators are hopeful that incentives to have them will soon outweigh the concerns. They compare it to a credit card. If people want a card, they give us a lot of what we consider privacy. It will be the same way with the chip.

​

In the future, the chips could be used for tracking. They could be employed to find missing persons and fugitives. However, they could also be used for political repression, or child abusers may use them for malicious purposes. They could be used to track people with diseases or those who are not immunized. The chips could lead us to a cashless society.

​

Some states are reacting differently to the chips. Wisconsin, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Virginia have all banned involuntary chip implants, making it illegal for employers to require them. However, Washington State has ordered a study of the RFID or similar tech to monitor sex offenders and felons.

​

People are concerned. There are already companies making money scanning individuals for unknown chip implants. The chips can be installed with a shot like a vaccination. The microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are virtually undetectable once implanted. Some claim they can be used to produce symptoms diagnosed as Alzheimer's, Dementia, or Schizophrenia. Victims have been congregating to compare stories. One man found his implanters could track his movements, hear and record his conversations, apply torture to his body, relay sounds to him, read his thoughts, and play them back. He claims he was implanted by a dentist or a hair implant doctor. He has located companies that could find it but not disarm it. The quote was for $15800, with no guarantee of success.

​

Implant victims point to horrific cases of people doing out of character things, claiming they were told to do it. The tormentors possessively try to isolate you from your loved ones. Although some of this story is hard to believe, if it is true that terrorists can get a hold of this technology and utilize it to these ends, then it seems like the sales of these types of products should be strictly monitored.

​

Our individual freedoms and the ability to work together for a better community is paramount in the backbone of the United States of America. We are united by a love of freedom and individual worth. Society is on the precipice of some major decisions that will have to be addressed before we have slipped too far to recover our liberties.

​

Websites Referenced:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_(human)

http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/future-tech/microchips-in-humans-to-prevent-doping-11364220161232

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2016/1743472/

https://educate-yourself.org/lte/microchipimplantresistance12sep07.shtml

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs

​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_ID_Act

​https://www.themainewire.com/2017/04/real-id-dangerous-id/

​