Would anyone fly again if they knew the government’s security procedures weren’t intended to make people safe, but only to make them feel safe?
Would you?
Perhaps you’d better buy a bus ticket or set up a videoconference, then, because Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff admitted that at least one aspect of aviation security is intended to be security theater, not real security.
At a speech he gave August 13 at the University of Southern California National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events, Chertoff expounded at length on the supposed virtues of government identification. And much of what he said was right. You certainly don’t want your bank to give all your money to someone else who just claims to be you, for instance.
Chertoff said that current measures like REAL ID were only stopgaps and that “21st century” approaches to identity management would require two-factor or even three-factor authentication.
But the use of identification by government, he says, is only about verifying that someone is who he claims to be. Depending on the situation, this doesn’t necessarily provide any security. He spent quite a bit of time talking about requiring identification to get on an airplane, for instance. And God help you if you lost your wallet. If that happens, you’ll have to answer a variety of highly personal questions, as well as go through the dreaded secondary screening, and risk having your name placed on a terrorist watch list.
And what does all this identification to get on an airplane get you, the traveler? Absolutely nothing but a false sense of security. Chertoff even brazenly admitted it: “From a security standpoint, anonymity has to give way to the right of others on the plane to feel safe.” That’s right, identification isn’t about catching terrorists, it’s about giving your fellow passengers a warm fuzzy feeling. Of course, we’ve known that for years.
Chertoff even brought up a hypothetical market experiment in which an airline would allow travelers to fly anonymously, and who would choose that airline over the one which identified people? Of course, this isn’t the market experiment that has been proposed before that would actually work: allowing people to fly carrying their firearms, anonymously or not. That would provide real security, but who would fly an airline where they were actually safe, instead of just feeling safe? What terrorist would go up against a planeload of responsible armed Americans still pissed off about September 11?
Most interestingly, though, Chertoff said the government should accept future forms of private identification which meet government standards for security: “I would challenge the private sector to come up with methods and forms and systems of identification that would meet these performance metrics, that would accurately identify a person who’s been validated, working from a respected breeder document or some kind of database that truly verifies and validates identity, and that satisfies the security measures because I believe that we should then be in a position in the government to say we’ll accept that identification.”
This is clearly the right direction to move in. The need for identification varies widely based on context, and a one-size-fits-all approach like the driver license either doesn’t work for some contexts or is complete overkill for others. After all, that system started as a way to verify that a person had permission to drive. Feature creep has resulted in it being used in so many other inappropriate contexts today, and has also enabled the widespread identity theft we see.
For instance, I traveled extensively earlier this year and about half the time, the hotel or motel I checked into would ask for an ID. The hotel really doesn’t need to know who I am; it only needs to know that I will pay for the hotel room and any damage I might cause to the room during my stay. The one-size-fits-all government ID may make the hotel management feel better, but it doesn’t truly serve this purpose. (Higher rated hotels were, in my experience, less likely to ask for ID. They solve this problem by charging any damages to the credit card after check-out.)
Not coincidentally, Cato’s Jim Harper also calls for private identification systems in his book, Identity Crisis. Multiple private identification systems, customized for specific use cases, would solve most or all of these problems.
Those of you among my readers who consider yourselves voluntaryists or anarchists, or even those of you who are concerned about government overuse and misuse of identification, should start working on private identification systems as soon as possible. If you’re here in New Hampshire, I’ll help.
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Jeff Hoyt
Aug 26, 2008
Okay, I’m just going to throw this out without thinking about it too much…
The scene is a downtown street, and some poor sap has just been run down by a car because he stepped out into traffic without looking. The poor sap is me, and the first responding officer has pulled my wallet from my pocket. In it, he finds a driver’s license, a Social Security card, a debit card (with, like the driver’s license, my picture on it), a credit card, a Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Private Security Services registration card (another picture), and a video rental card, all of which have my name on them. His partner says “Who is he?” and the guy says “Well, he might be Jeff Hoyt, but there’s no way to know. If he was carrying some form of federal standardized ID card, we could be sure.”
Un-huh.
I submit that what we’re all carrying already is more than enough to identify us. Then again, maybe I should just jump on the looney-toon train with the rest of the characters and design a spiffy ID card that meets federal standards, get a contract with the guv’ment and kiss my money worries good-bye…
It always fascinated me in the old days: I’d go to write a check, and the clerk usually said I had to have two forms of ID. Invariably, one of them had to be a credit card, which I didn’t have. I always wondered how having those two forms of ID proved that I had the money in my account to cover the check.
Bob
Aug 26, 2008
“Tell me who are you!!??
Whoooooooo are you, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo?”
Those guys were ahead of their time.
Bob
Aug 26, 2008
In the real world Jeff, some bum would beat the cops to your wallet by at least fifteen minutes and trade it to the pusherman for drugs and such.
That’s why they say you need an ID locator chip up your nose. One that contains all your bank, driver, credit and medical information. It’s foolproof. This is the 21st century man. You’ve got to get with the times.
“The more civilized we are, the less civil we are to each other.”
Jeff Hoyt
Aug 27, 2008
Yeah, I’ve been told that before, usually by this buddy of mine that died in car wreck a couple of years ago. They brought him back, which makes conversation with him a little more routine.
But I’m not doin’ too bad; the doper wouldn’t get much ’cause I almost never carry cash, and I’ve never even ordered checks for the account I’ve had for about 6 years now. Call me your thoroughly modern man…
I like the quote. If I were elected president eventually someone would ask me what I wanted my legacy to be. I’d want to be known as the president that gave America its front porches back.
Shawn-Earnst
Aug 27, 2008
Whatever the government identity crisis brings about that it be safe rather than unsafe -in the end is out of our hands. I wish Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff is correct in identification card assessment that live up to government standards for security identification, make it so and get’er’dun. Again, 911/Sept-11Th was only a single Zeitgeist crack in the armor plating beginning in the twilight what is about to become of us all. Implanted RFID’s, this will make us a dog pound of live stock ripe for whatever is elected upon for us to serve. Either you are with us or you are a terrorist. Across the sky’s we fly unsafe, indeed. Not unless you are one of the govt owned elected citizens,and or in the military, a safe air transport in guaranteed security. “Metaphorically, a time capsule opens and married couple,”liberal minded for their time”, awaken from the year 1920 and would they approve of what we have all become? The Earth has become a powder-keg and we have become it canon fodder, and our leaders the gunners mates. We are so blind without a mirror to see; blinded by propaganda, look at what we have become.”, metaphorically. Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff, make it so.
Jeff Hoyt
Aug 27, 2008
Shawn,
Please don’t take this as mean-spirited; I promise you that it isn’t itended that way.
There may be some good points in your post, but trying to find them is like trying to catch a feather while standing in a prop-wash. A little more attention to grammar, please. This is a high-class place.
Shawn Earnest
Sep 02, 2008
Mean Spirited, your kind? Never!
U.S. Allies Begin Issuing High-Tech Passports for Travelers
NEW YORK — Countries that have historically friendly relations with the United States on Thursday will begin issuing passports to residents traveling abroad complete with facial-recognition software and digital chips.
Kurt
Sep 10, 2008
Excellent article, Mike, and your “hypothetical” example, Jeff, was excellent, as well. I’ve long laughed at the glaring vulnerabilities that exist in the air transport system, even after 9/11. In many ways the ultimate slap in the face would be for AQ or another group to conduct a copy-cat set of attacks, despite the billions wasted on so-called security measures. I tackled this issue back in June when TSA changed their policies on admitting folks without ID’s to the “secured” areas of airport terminals:
I wondered, at the time, if I was the only one on the planet that thought that TSA was a colossal waste of money with virtually negligible terms, save the “warm fuzzy” that it gave thousands of sheepish travelers who were standing in line praying they didn’t get the body cavity search in a private room while struggling to get their shoes off and questioning whether their carry on liquids were 4 oz. or 5 oz…because we all know that 4 oz. of high explosives on an airplane are OK, but 5 oz. is right out. You never know when your hand sanitizer might cause a massive decompression at altitude, thereby sucking out thousands of dollars of airline revenue in snack packs and extra blankets.
I’d never thought about hotels needing my ID before. I think I’m going to have to tighten up my practices in that area. Thanks again for a great article and being the voice of reason in the circus act.
Shawn-Earnest
Sep 11, 2008
Quite obvious why we need a “Real ID”, if we watch media news and of course they all tell the truth -scientifically that is.
V.J. Cameron
Sep 14, 2008
I’m 63 yrs of age, a working supervisor in the oil industry, yes making a good income. I have served 4 yrs in USAF in the early ’60′s, never been arested, and only a few trafic tickets. Been going offshore since 1968 to work. Never more than my word as to who I was or am. Since 9/11 our Dept. of Homeland Security has been inept and are now trying to make us feel secure by making anyone,even US Citizens get a TWIC CARD ( Transportation Worker Identification Credential) or “GREEN CARD’s” for American Citizen, many of which have put their butts on the line for the USA. This an insult to all American Citizens, especially Vets. We got people walking across our borders everday, working over here, sending US dollars home, getting benifits most of us can not get and our government wants to make anyone that walk on OUR land a citizen w/ full rights. But now real home grown US Citizens who want to work on the water have to have a “GREEN CARD”, American Citizens? I was going to work & pay income taxes till I was at lease 70: now, I’m going to retire and let Uncle Sam pay me to stay home and go fishing. I WILL NOT GET A TWIC “GREEN CARD” to work in my USA!!!!!! Think about it, where will it stop???????
Dec 18, 2008
Securing the homeland, one liberty at a time - Homeland Stupidity