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GUEST: Melissa Ngo, Director of Indentification and Surveillance Project of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Maine’s legislature voted overwhelmingly to overturn the implementation of the Federal REAL ID act. This federal law sets a national standard for drivers licenses by creating a national ID card and requires states to link their recordkeeping systems to national databases. The Maine legislature cited privacy and cost as reasons for their decision, as the system is set to cost a reported 11 Billion to implement in all 50 states. Within a week of Maine’s action, lawmakers in Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington states also balked at Real ID. They are soon expected to pass laws or adopt resolutions declining to participate in the federal identification network. At stake is the state compliance deadline of May 2008. If they do not comply, drivers licenses that fall short of Real ID’s standards cannot be used to board an airplane or enter a federal building or open some bank accounts.

For more information, visit www.epic.org.