Smart ID Card Advocates Call for Government Action

Advocates are pushing for an ID smart card that would contain your U.S.government checked identity, complete with biometric identifiers, plusyour three credit card accounts, your check card account, possibly evenyour health records. An IDG News Service article on Infoworldreports that the card contains a small chip that could store kilobytesof data and lets you zoom through the toll stations on your localhighway, act as a passport when you cross international borders andcontain your passwords to a number of e-commerce Web sites. Advocatesof government-mandated smart cards envisioned multiple uses for a smallpiece of plastic in the name of protecting the U.S. from illegal aliensand terrorists. Privacy advocates have protested against proposals tocreate a national identification card, saying a national card could beused to track U.S. residents and amass databases full of information. Read more.