I am a little disgruntled to read that there will be a hologram of a map of the entire North American continent. Um… why? I think a map of the U.S. is good enough.
Among lots of other reasons, it seems some of the major issues regarding creation and deployment of the ID include lack of privacy due to a centralized database, high cost of implementation on a wide scale, and potential increase of identity fraud (due to increased reliance of a potentially forgeable document).
The Real ID legislature was passed as a rider on a terrorism and tsunami relief bill.
I haven’t been able to find anything on a RFID chip or any other kind of tracking device, but apparently things like your Social Security card, Passport, Birth Certificate and other major documents will be scanned and stored inside a database, accessible by state and federal agencies.
Apparently it’s not a true ‘national’ ID, as the individual states will be required to distribute them, however the databases will be linked (which I thought was true already). It seems that states are putting up a fight on behalf of it’s citizens and claiming that the Real ID is a threat to our freedom, rather than a boost in security. I would agree to that.