Some Reminders About Real ID — 31 To Be Exact
1.) America: Freedom to Fascism — In 2005, the movie America: Freedom to Fascism came out. It was written, directed, and produced by a Hollywood producer who did not like what he was seeing in Hollywood or in America. It depicts the stranglehold that the concept of “Real ID” represents in American life. It is worth watching this very day if you have not recently watched it.
2.) Real ID is effectively a federal ID card. You will be uniquely identified in an easily searchable, widely available, federal database for the first time ever. Some will say, “If you are doing nothing wrong, what do you have to worry about?” The justice system has been weaponized. You only need to have the right bureaucrat pay too much attention to you for you to go from innocent to guilty.
3.) Some White Houses are worse — The process of mandatory Real ID has been advanced most by pro-efficiency advocates (and others) in the George W. Bush White House and in the Donald Trump White House. The Democrats have been much more lax about it.
4.) Yes, there are massive databases already, but… — Facebook has databases that include you. They are quite extensive. Lexis Nexus has databases that include you. They are quite extensive. The Social Security Administration has databases that include you. They are quite extensive. They are not as effective as you think they might be, so don’t let down your guard about data collection.
5.) Unique identifiers — Your social security number is a good way to track you and to use as a unique identifier. Your phone number is a better way to track you and use as a unique identifier. Both are imperfect. When non-essential database populators ask for your phone number, I recommend (212) 555-1212. They do not have a good single number for you.
6.) Thanks tech bros — There is not a very effective conglomeration of that information. There is not one central database. The prevalence of newly patriotic tech bros in Washington DC easily will likely come up with an effective way to combine databases. The Real ID is a possible solution to this problem, a problem I don’t want solved. For full disclosure, the people who most often use the term “tech bro,” would probably include me in that designation. I have helped found, build, and scale tech companies.
7.) Lots of inaccuracies — Beware of predictive programming that says to you “They already know everything about you, so what’s the use of protecting yourself.” That’s simply not true. Go find a private detective, or an OSINT professional, or a debt collector, or the assistant of a salesman who needs to make cold calls, all will tell you how hard it is to get accurate information about most people.
8.) Lots of crap — If you or I look at our own Lexis Nexus entries for example, we might find 10 or 20 allegedly unique identities who could be us. There are lots of big databases out there filled with crap.
9.) Your decisions matter. Don’t let them fool you — They really don’t know that much about you. They really, really don’t. There are very simple ways that they can known even less about you. I don’t care how much people claim that apps like Signal or Telegram are compromised. They get rid of 99% of the problems one can have with privacy. I don’t care how much people claim VPNs and TOR are compromised. If used right, they can make life much harder for most of those who want to know what you are up to. I don’t care how much some people claim
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LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.
