Keeping IDentities Safe comments on 9/11 Report Anniversary

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Jul 22, 2014, 04:32 ET

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and former members of the National Commission Upon Terrorist Attacks in the United States ("9/11 Commission") released a new report entitled, "Today's Rising Terrorist Threat and the Danger to the United States: Reflections on the Tenth Anniversary of the 9/11 Commission Report." Former 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean, former Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton, and other members of the Commission commemorated the tenth anniversary of the original report by examining the changes of the past ten years and the emerging threats the nation faces.

Keeping IDentities Safe (PRNewsFoto/Keeping IDentities Safe) (PRNewsFoto/Keeping IDentities Safe)

Over the past two years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made significant progress in implementing a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission: securing our nation's driver's licenses via the REAL ID Act. In December of last year, DHS announced a graduated enforcement schedule for the REAL ID Act. As of April of this year, 44 jurisdictions have either met the requirements of the REAL ID Act or are on track to meet them in the near term.

Regarding that progress, the report stated:

"Our report identified terrorists' travel and need for identification documents as vulnerable points in their operations. With the REAL ID Act gradually being implemented by the states, the country is poised to fulfill our recommendation that the federal government 'set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses.'"

Andrew Meehan, Policy Director of Keeping IDentities Safe, stated that, "DHS has made significant progress in moving states forward with compliance. However, 12 jurisdictions still lag behind despite new and evolving terrorist threats, as noted by the former 9/11 Commission members. It's important that these jurisdictions move aggressively to meet the standards of the REAL ID Act. The REAL ID standards represent a baseline for much needed security to our nation's identity management."

While the report commented on the evolving threat and the challenges regarding commercial aviation, it did not address the precipitous rise in availability and sophistication of high quality counterfeit identity documents, specifically counterfeit driver's licenses. Over the last few years, overseas counterfeit document mills, outside of US law enforcement's jurisdiction, have engaged in wide scale production and sale of U.S. driver's licenses. These counterfeit driver's licenses closely mimic security features on today's current driver's licenses and have working machine readable zones.

"These new fake driver's licenses have been used in a litany of crimes ranging from drugs to gun sales," Mr. Meehan continued. "Additionally, the higher level of sophistication has rendered airport travel document check points ineffective against detecting these counterfeits. Many of these fake driver's licenses incorporate machine readable zones on the back of the licenses, which produce the information on the face of the license when scanned. Despite these vulnerabilities, no strategy has been implemented to stem the flow of these documents into the United States or detect them once they are here."

About Keeping IDentities Safe:
Keeping IDentities Safe is a 501 (c) (3) non-partisan, not for profit, crime prevention education public charity, supported by donor contributions from across the United States. Its slogan, "Working to protect the identity of every American", embodies its commitment to higher standards for both government and private entities that issue identity credentials, especially state agencies that issue driver's licenses and ID cards. Keeping IDentities Safe undertakes research projects addressing best practices for DMVs, compliance with federal laws and regulations, identity fraud prevention and related identity management topics. It provides research results and educational programs to the public and to state and federal officials. Keeping IDentities Safe is a member of the Document Security Alliance and of the American National Standards Institute.

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