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The Center for Advanced Studies and World Policy Institute Global Information Society Project: Program on Law Enforcement and National Security in the Information Age

GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT RUSH TO MASSIVE ID SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM, SAYS CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY

The full statement is available at:
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39202

NEW YORK, Oct. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Who's Who in Whoville? "Congress should not rush to legislate a massive government identity surveillance system under the press of a politically expedient deadline without considering alternatives that can meet legitimate law enforcement and national security needs while still protecting privacy," said K. A. Taipale, executive director of the Center for Advanced Studies and director of the Global Information Society Project at the World Policy Institute, at a conference in New York earlier today.

"There are many compelling reasons to improve means of reliable identification in the United States -- from fighting identity fraud to enhancing security against terrorist. Ensuring a government monopoly over identity is not among them. However, without much public debate, Congress is rushing headlong towards the creation of a national system of identification that has the potential to track an individual's movements throughout their lifetime -- a system that may or may not provide any security against terrorists but is guaranteed to diminish freedom for the rest of us unless we build in certain protections from the outset.

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"Is such a system of ubiquitous identity surveillance controlled exclusively by government likely to lead to improved security? Well, maybe -- but diminished freedom is certain. We can do better.

"Developing an identification system that allows for -- even encourages -- pseudonymous activity (sometimes also called 'escrowed identity') and multiple issuers -- including private industry -- could provide significant privacy protections while still allowing for legitimate means of identification for national security and law enforcement purposes.

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"Liberty and security are not rivals to be traded one for the other in a zero sum game; rather they are dual obligations of civil society. Technology can help us maximize each without wholly sacrificing the other -- but only through informed debate during technology and systems development, by insisting on the maintenance of checks and balances, and by allowing for competition in the market for secure identification. Congress should not rush to legislate a massive government identity surveillance system under the press of a politically expedient deadline without considering the possible alternatives."

This statement was released as part of the Global Information Society Project's Program on Law Enforcement and National Security in the Information Age -- http://www.PLENSIA.org .

The full statement is available at: http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39202