Policy Critique Of The Real ID act Of 2005: Combating Illegal Immigration - Essay Example

However, the most significant impact of the act is the establishment of federal standards for the conditions which must be met before a state can issue drivers’ licenses or State ID cards. If a deeper analysis of the situation is made, it can be shown that the Act itself and the requirements of the act would be little more than an additional burden on tax payers and make life more difficult for legal immigrants and local government officials. Moreover, the Act can also be seen as an infringement on individual civil liberties since the future state license would be a real national identity card rather than a document which acts as simply a license to drive (Sullum, 2005).

While the need for the Act has been debated back and forth between various parties, it seems that the business case for the Act is certainly there because it makes sense for large companies to invest in such technologies. USA Today clearly states that: “Companies like Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, and defense contractor Northrop Grumman certainly are not hesitant about the idea. They all have technologies under development to help the government silently track the identities of Americans. Financial analysts predict that the market for computerized identity systems will more than double to $10,700,000,000 by 2007, and big business is lobbying for laws that will ensure sales of their new products (USA Today, 2005, Pg. 1-2).” At the same time others such as Oscar Gandy, a professor of public policy at the University of Pennsylvania, say that, “It is as Orwellian as you can imagine and should be frightening (USA Today, 2005, Pg. 2).” Of course the government and the federal bodies who are to be responsible for the act have assured the public that their information and relevant records will be kept safe and secure but it is difficult to imagine a completely secure system.