March 1, 2011
Jim Harper on identification systems
Jerry Brito
Former Senior Research FellowJim Harper
Key materials
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To speak with a scholar or learn more on this topic, visit our contact page.Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute, discusses identification systems. He talks about REAL ID, a national uniform ID law passed in 2005 that states have contested, and NSTIC, a more recent government proposal to create an online identification “ecosystem.” Harper discusses some of the hidden costs of establishing national identification systems and why doing so is not a proper role of government. He also comments on the reasoning behind national ID proposals and talks about practical, beneficial limits to transparency.
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