Personal Identification: Its Modern Development and Security Implications

We have all grown up using our driver's license to confirm our identification. In addition, we carry many other forms of ID--credit cards, passports, and work identification badges--as they facilitate our movement in today's society. However, this was not always the case. The use of identifying documents and the need for "trusted" personal identification documents used by the public is a relatively new social phenomenon. This book examines what people did before "trusted"personal identification documents existed. It explains how and why our modern identification system developed, and what social changes have made modern IDs necessary for citizens of all countries. It demonstrates the convergence-of-technologies that produced the first "secure" documents and their impact on society. These include: * The effects of large and mobile populations * The effects of "impersonal"electronic communications at a distance * The passage of government laws with "age" and "group" criteria * The distribution of services (tangibles) and money by government agencies based on a person's identity (including age and group criteria) The book also reviews the consequences of 9/11 on personal identification in the United States and its impact on our society and our civil liberties.