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06.21.07
Data Breach Shows Government Unable
to Protect Personal Information
New “Real ID” Law Would be Recipe for Disaster
CLEVELAND –The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio expressed grave
concern over recent reports that personal information of over 225,000
Ohioans and 64,000 state employees has been stolen as a result of
careless errors and antiquated protection methods employed by the state.
The data breach comes as the debate intensifies over whether states
should go forward with plans to implement a national ID program.
ACLU of Ohio Legal Director Jeffrey Gamso said, “It is clear that the
protections the state has implemented to guard against ID theft are
woefully inadequate.”
“Adding a completely new system with mountains of new personal data
would put the private information of every Ohioan at great risk,”
continued Gamso.
The “Real ID Act,” a federal law passed in 2005 and set to go into
effect next year would turn state driver’s licenses into national ID
cards and impose numerous new burdens on taxpayers, citizens,
immigrants, and state governments – while doing little to protect
against terrorism. There is currently a nationwide push to repeal
the “Real ID” Act before it goes into effect.
The federal government estimates it will cost over $23 billion dollars
to implement the national ID, with much of the cost passed onto
taxpayers by a projected fee increase of over $100 to obtain a driver’s
license.
The national ID legislation provided few if any requirements for
protecting personal data. It does not mandate that states encrypt data
nor does it give specifications on how the data is to be handled.
As a result, it is stirring intense opposition from many groups across
the political spectrum. Currently, 17 states have adopted legislation
opposed to the national ID and there is pending legislation in 10 other
states. In Ohio, HCR 18, proposed by Rep. Diana Fessler (R-Bethel
Township) urges Congress to repeal the Real ID Act.
Gamso concluded, “In light of the demonstrated institutional problems
with how the state handles personal information, the state should be
duty-bound to opt out of the national ID program in order to prevent an
even worse future debacle.”
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