As if the government didn't have enough on its hand trying to keep major "card projects" like TWIC and HSPD-12 moving forward, two U.S. representatives have introduced legislation that would make the Social Security cards for American much more secure.
Admittedly, it's probably not a particularly hard card to duplicate, and when introducing the legislation, they noted that a GAO study in 2005 found employers using some 1.4 million Social Security numbers that don't exist anymore (read: dead people). The representatives, Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam, said that a more secure card would help reduce identity theft and immigration fraud. I'll give Kirk and Roskam this: The current system is weak. So what's in their proposed card?
- Tamperproof design
- Increased wear resistance
- Digitized photo
- Encrypted, electronic bar code
- Biometric identifiers
For now, the photo, bar code and biometrics would only apply to individuals older than 15.
Since this is a blog, I don't have to hold back. So, here's what I think: K.I.S.S.
I want to know how you feel about this security issue. Sound off in our comments section, and express your professional security opinion and opinion as an American.
-Geoff

Geoff Kohl | Editorial Director/Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher
Geoff Kohl is the Marketing Director for the Security Industry Association (SIA). He is the former Editor-in-Chief of SecurityInfoWatch.com