Viewpoint: Existing IT Tools Can Keep Cost of Real ID Compliance Down
There's no such thing as a foolproof ID system, and this act contains chasmic loopholes through which even the dumbest terrorist could slip.
From an IT standpoint, the Real ID Act of 2005 doesn't seem to have been well thought out. In fact, from just about any standpoint it doesn't seem to have been too well thought out. If states must comply with the act as written and issue new driver's licenses or personal ID (DL/ID) cards, it will cost each of them tens or even hundreds of millions in equipment upgrades and man-hours for document verification and issuance, and there is no guarantee in the act that the federal government will pony up the money to assist in compliance. The act "authorizes such sums as necessary for the fiscal years 2005 through 2009 to carry out the law" (
