Is PPI proposing a “national” ID card?
No. A national ID card would be a card issued by the federal government. Smart ID cards would simply put inexpensive computer chips into existing driver’s licenses or identification cards. There is no need to build an expensive new bureaucracy when state departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) are already in place to handle the ID system. The federal government should mandate standardized security features for all state-issued cards to make it easier to tell which cards are legitimate (including a biometric-capable chip and a standard hologram). States should also link their individual databases to prevent one person from getting multiple cards in different states. Aside from some slight standardization, there is nothing “national” about smart ID cards.
