If smart ID cards are so great, why are civil libertarians and privacy advocates so upset?
Because they are absolutists who don’t believe in risk-benefit analysis. Most of the arguments against smart ID cards are little more than paranoid fantasies about worst-case scenarios. Yes, there will be abuses of smart ID cards, but there are already abuses of dumb ID cards. Yes, smart ID cards can make it more efficient to carry out certain abuses, but they will also make it easier to catch certain abusers. Despite the overblown rhetoric you might hear, the addition of a computer chip to your driver’s license will not magically transform every police officer or civil servant into a jackbooted thug drunk on the unchecked power to harass you and consumed with the desire to know what you’re doing at all times. Taken as a whole, the potential benefits of smart ID cards far outweigh the potential risks. The vast majority of Americans understand that privacy is a tradeoff rather than an absolute, and will accept the risks in exchange for the benefits — in convenience, savings, and, not t
Related Questions
- I have seen a great deal in the news lately about security and privacy issues with smart cards and I am concerned about the security of my personal information. How will this be addressed?
- If smart ID cards are so great, why are civil libertarians and privacy advocates so upset?
- Are there any privacy benefits to smart ID cards?
