A new proposal aimed at eliminating the hiring of illegal immigrants by issuing a biometric plastic ID cardthat all Americans would eventually have to procure is making its way around Washington, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Charles Schumer, a New York democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina republican, are the co-sponors of the bill, and believe it will solve the problem entirety. Meanwhile, privacy advocates claim the bill is a violation of Americans’ constitutional rights.
“It is fundamentally a massive invasion of people’s privacy,” Chris Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, told the news provider. “We’re not only talking about fingerprinting every American, treating ordinary Americans like criminals in order to work. We’re also talking about a card that would quickly spread from work to voting to travel to pretty much every aspect of American life that requires identification.”
Smartcard initiatives can be both cumbersome and expensive for governments to install. They require complete cooperation of citizens. In South Africa, a plan to link government pensions with state-issued plastic ID cards has been tabled for a year due to rising costs, according to ContactlessIDNews.com.
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I wouldn’t say this is really that controversial. I think it’s a good idea.