ID cards (from Dan)

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Current News - Homefront Preparations : One Thread

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011114/us/attacks_security_panel_1.html

Security Panel Seeks Nat'l ID Cards By MARC HUMBERT, Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - An anti-terrorism committee created in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center will call for creation of a national identification card system and federal government take over of airport security, according to its chairman.

State Sen. Roy Goodman, who created the panel last month, said Wednesday the recommendations are two of 50 to be detailed at a news conference in New York City on Thursday.

He did not say to whom the panel's recommendations would be submitted.

The panel, which includes four former New York City police commissioners and other law enforcement officials, will also urge a tightening of private aviation security.

The universal identification card system would use high-tech microchips storing digitized fingerprints, facial characteristics and retinal images.

Goodman said the panel had not decided if the ID cards should be mandatory, but that a mandatory system would ``maximize safety and security.'' The cards would be available to all residents and visitors to the United States; those that could afford it would be charged a fee.

The Bush administration has yet to take a position on the cards, which were proposed last month by Oracle Corp. chief executive Larry Ellison; he said his company could have them ready in three months.

But Richard Clarke, Bush's adviser on cyberspace security, opposes the cards.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001


Moderation questions? read the FAQ