National identification systems could solve many of modern society 's problems, from identity theft to tracking known criminals. At least, this is what proponents of these systems state. On the other hand, opponents of this concept protest that it would create a form of police state and would not necessarily be as secure as it is claimed to be. These national ID systems are a hotly debated issue all over the world. Discussions have been ongoing in America on this topic and, in fact, in 2005 the REAL ID Act was passed by Congress to begin implementation of a national identification card. There are many proponents of the system, as well as a number of countries that have already instituted a mandatory national ID system. However, there are numerous opponents to this plan, with a wide variety of reasons behind their …show more content…
The United States does not have a national system of identification. This is, in part, due to no government office having the jurisdiction or authority to regulate and administer national IDs (G. David Garson, Public Information Technology and E-governance: Managing the Virtual State (Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2006), 171). Another reason that there is no established system is because of opposition efforts on all sides when a proposal for such a system is made in Congress. An example of this is the REAL ID Act. The Real ID Act does not establish a unified identity system but creates regulations and standards that every state must meet for their state identities to be accepted in federal agencies, nuclear facilities, and by 2016, federally regulated commercial aircrafts (H.R. 119 STAT. 231, 109th Cong. (enacted). Print.)
While the US does not yet have a regulated national identification system, there are some documents that are recognized as national identification. As defined by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) department, identification documents acceptable for employment purposes fall under three