Niagara Falls!

Slowly, I turned.... Step by step....

And step by step, a federally-issued national ID card is being made a reality. The Washington Post for Thursday didn't put it that way or probably even think of it that way, but I have no doubt at all that those who approved this program did.

Federal officials are developing government-wide identification card standards for federal employees and contractors....

The new generation of ID cards must be able to digitally store biometric data such as facial photographs and fingerprint images, bear contact and contactless interfaces, and allow the encryption of data that can be used to electronically verify the user's identity, according to NIST draft standards.

Such cards will be required for all federal employees, including members of the military, as well as for employees of private organizations and state and local governments who regularly require access to federally controlled facilities and computer systems. That is a universe of more than 2 million people, said W. Curt Barker, the project manager at NIST[, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is developing the card]. ...

Employees could start using the new cards as early as fall 2005, Barker said.

Not everyone is happy about the emerging 1984-style technology. Colleen Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union expressed concern about the invasions of privacy it would entail. For example, that the proposed standard would permit agencies to print employees' pay grade and rank on the new cards. Kelley also noted that

"an agency might seize upon this technology as a means to track employees as they move throughout a building. ... That is troubling, standing alone. It would be particularly objectionable if the agency tried to track visits to particular sites such as the union office, Employee Assistance Program offices and the inspector general's office."

Kelley is wise to recognize the Big Brother applications of the technology. And this is a case where no one can simply say "Oh, we would never do such a thing!" because the ability to track affected employees as they do things that are not job-related and that they would likely prefer to be private - such as those she mentioned - is inherent in the system. In fact, being able to track people is one of the points of the system.

And there is an additional danger, which I alluded to at the top: Once a system like this becomes established, especially at the federal level, it becomes easier and easier to spread it further and further. I mean, doesn't it make sense for state governments, who surely have their own security worries, to adopt the federal standards? And what about defense contractors? Their employees may not have to access federal properties to do their jobs, but aren't such "vital industries" part of our national defense? Oh, yeah, vital industries! Certainly, that's not just defense contractors. What about utilities? Transportation? And my gosh, we can't be expected to examine every single person who gets on a plane on a bus in a car-that-might-be-loaded-with-plastic-explosives! We've got to have some way to know who these people are! Whose side are you on, ours or the terrorists'? Don't you believe in freedom?

If you think that hyperbole, I suggest you look back over what's happened since 9/11 and ask yourself again if you think it's so far outside the realm of possibility - or even reasonableness.