The More You Know...#7: Look Around Again

CardTechnology reports that Eurosmart Forecasts 20% Growth In Shipments

The smallest, yet fastest, growing segment of the smart card industry will again be government ID cards and documents, says the vendor group, which projects unit shipments will jump by 56% to 140 million units. Chips and other components for e-passports will increase only modestly to about 30 million units this year, up from about 20 million in 2006, says Seneca. New ID card projects, in such countries as Portugal, Qatar and Morocco, will contribute to growth in the segment, along with ongoing ID card deployments in Belgium, Thailand, Hong Kong, Oman and others. The segment includes chip-based national ID cards, driver’s licenses and health cards. Second-generation health card projects in France and Germany could also add to the growth this year, although they are behind schedule.

And Eurosmart is projecting further out than this year. In a “Vision Paper,” it also released today, the vendor group suggests smart cards and other “smart secure devices” will amount to 20 billion units by 2020.

This assumes by that year there will be 4 billion mobile phones using SIM cards and 4 billion citizens carrying chip-based ID cards, such as national ID cards, driver’s licenses or e-passports. Moreover, it assumes a significant number of consumers will use smart card technology, perhaps embedded in USB tokens, to secure e-commerce, which is rare today. And it predicts smart card technology also will be widely used for “machine-to-machine” communications.

Read more here.
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At Pantagraph.com Michael Riopell reports that Illinois House backs repeal of Real ID Act

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House joined a national push Thursday in urging Congress to repeal a federal driver’s license law....

The measure was approved without dissent.

Read more here.
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Here is a disturbing post at Enterprise Resilience Management Blog. The author discusses current dialogue about national id cards and biometric social security numbers. The post references an article at the New York Times entitled The Winning Card. Check it out and see how the "Winning Card" is a loser for American ideals.

To insist on secure documents with biometric identifiers is not a call for a national ID. Green cards, temporary work permits and passports are secure and reliable for hiring purposes. Adding Social Security cards to this list, establishing a single standard for their security features, and replacing old cards over a designated period would resolve the problem on a national scale.

Only then would employers be able to comply reliably with verification requirements as the basis for sound enforcement and, by extension, border control. Legal immigrants and American citizens could prove their identities and eligibility to work without facing discrimination based on appearance or language. Scarce enforcement resources could be spent on apprehending real criminals and addressing national security threats. And a new system of enforcement would at last have a chance to win back public confidence in the nation’s immigration policies.

After more than 20 years of failed efforts, Congress must not bake half a loaf. Secure biometric Social Security cards are an essential ingredient in any comprehensive immigration reform.