PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J. –- In its final ruling on minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security left the door open for states to decide for themselves if they want to set higher standards for secure REAL ID driver’s licenses and e-government services.
“Imagine the impact a state could have on protecting citizens’ identities and improving government services if every driver’s license they issued was capable of strongly authenticating online and in-person transactions,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “That opportunity is before states now as they define their REAL ID plan to comply with the federal standard, which includes only minimum technology requirements since it faced significant opposition from some states due to costs.”