WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Phase Three of REAL ID Act enforcement by the federal
government began January 19, 2015,
directing federal buildings with Security Levels 1 and 2
designations to stop accepting driver's licenses from non-compliant
states for admittance, expanding enforcement to "[s]emi-restricted"
areas of Federal facilities.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated
eight states and one U.S. territory as being non-compliant with
REAL ID rule requirements and subject to enforcement: Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New
Hampshire, New York,
Oklahoma, and American Samoa. New
Hampshire and Idaho had
previously received time extensions that were not renewed by
DHS.
President of Keeping IDentities Safe, Brian Zimmer, commented, "Most states are moving
forward to improve security in their driver's license issuance
process. However, it remains to be seen whether DHS will maintain
rigor in its enforcement of all REAL ID requirements. Governors of
non-compliant states need to wake up to the future inconvenience of
their residents having to use another form of identification to
board airliners beginning in 2016. Given the large number of
federal facilities in New York, it
is a real mystery that Governor Cuomo of New York hasn't taken steps to comply with
REAL ID. The silence of New York's
newspapers and television stations in that regard is equally
mysterious."
The REAL ID Act of 2005 prohibited the federal government from
accepting driver's licenses and ID cards for admittance to secure
federal buildings, nuclear facilities, and for boarding commercial
aircraft, unless they meet minimum security standards set by the
DHS. To meet the REAL ID standards, state motor vehicle agencies
must incorporate counterfeit resistant security features in their
driver's licenses, require applicants to provide a variety of
proofs of identity, and confirm the authenticity of those documents
with the issuing agency. Since the final REAL ID rule was issued in
2008, much progress has been made in upgrading driver's license
security. However, vulnerabilities still exist. Major information
systems have yet to be rolled out which are necessary to automate
validation of proofs of identity presented by applicants.
As of January 27th, 2015, twenty
two states and the District of
Columbia issue REAL ID compliant driver's licenses. Twenty
states and four territories are now committed to become compliant,
but have tasks remaining. Most recently Washington State sought and obtained a time
extension to comply.
About Keeping IDentities Safe:
Keeping IDentities Safe is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, not for
profit, crime prevention education public charity, supported by
donor contributions from across the United States. Its slogan,
"Working to protect the identity of every American", embodies its
commitment to higher standards for both government and private
entities that issue identity credentials, especially state agencies
that issue driver's licenses and ID cards. Keeping IDentities Safe
undertakes research projects addressing best practices for DMVs,
compliance with federal laws and regulations, identity fraud
prevention and related identity management topics. It provides
research results and educational programs to the public and to
state and federal officials. Keeping IDentities Safe is a member of
the Document Security Alliance and of the American National
Standards Institute.
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SOURCE Keeping IDentities Safe