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Single Government ID Moves Closer to Reality
Thu Dec 30, 5:01 AM ET
By Christopher Lee, Washington Post Staff Writer
Federal officials are developing government-wide identification card
standards for federal employees and contractors to prevent terrorists,
criminals and other unauthorized people from getting into government
buildings and computer systems.
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The effort, known as the Personal Identity Verification Project, stems from
a homeland security-related presidential directive and is being managed by
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a Commerce
Department (news - web sites) agency with offices in Gaithersburg.
In his Aug. 27 directive, President Bush (news - web sites) said that "wide
variations in the quality and security of forms of identification used to
gain access to secure federal and other facilities where there is potential
for terrorist attacks need to be eliminated." Bush called for the
development of "secure and reliable forms of identification" for federal
workers and contract employees.
To that end, federal officials want to replace the existing piecemeal
system of agency-level ID cards with "smart cards" that are hard to
counterfeit, resistant to tampering and difficult to use by anyone other
than the rightful card-holder if lost or stolen.
The new generation of ID cards must be able to digitally store biometric
data such as facial photographs and fingerprint images, bear contact and
contactless interfaces, and allow the encryption of data that can be used
to electronically verify the user's identity, according to NIST draft
standards.
Such cards will be required for all federal employees, including members of
the military, as well as for employees of private organizations and state
and local governments who regularly require access to federally controlled
facilities and computer systems. That is a universe of more than 2 million
people, said W. Curt Barker, the project manager at NIST.
Barker said the new standards will include tougher background check
requirements before many recipients can get their agency ID card. Access to
particularly sensitive offices or systems still will require higher
clearance, he said.
"There's wide variations in the quality and security of the forms of
identification that people use to get access to federal facilities," he
said. ". . . To be completely foolproof will be extraordinarily difficult,
but we can raise the risk for the terrorist or other person who wants to
fraudulently enter a facility and make it a little bit more difficult for
them to get in."
The common standard also will enable many employees who shuttle between
departments to enter different buildings with one card. NIST, which has
spent about $1 million on the project so far, expects to complete the new
standards by late February. Employees could start using the new cards as
early as fall 2005, Barker said.
Several departments, notably defense, transportation and interior, began
developing more secure, high-tech ID cards long before Bush issued the
directive, he said. The trend ultimately could affect private sector
workers, as well. Experts say the federal government's adoption of tighter
ID card standards could spur more private businesses to follow suit.
Some federal employees have concerns about the new cards.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union,
which represents more than 150,000 federal workers in 30 agencies, said the
proposed standard would permit agencies to print employees' pay grade and
rank on the new cards, which many workers would consider an invasion of
privacy.
"For example, an agency might seize upon this technology as a means to
track employees as they move throughout a building," Kelley said in written
comments to NIST last week. "That is troubling, standing alone. It would be
particularly objectionable if the agency tried to track visits to
particular sites such as the union office, Employee Assistance Program
offices and the inspector general's office."
NIST has gathered comments on the draft standard from more than 500
entities and individuals but has not made them public.
On Jan. 19, the agency will hold a public meeting at the Potomac Center
Plaza in downtown Washington to discuss policy, privacy and security
concerns associated with the development of the new ID card standard.
Anyone who wants to attend must preregister by Jan. 11 by e-mailing Sara
Caswell, a NIST official, at [EMAIL PROTECTED], according to a notice in
yesterday's Federal Register. Questions regarding registration can be
directed to Caswell at (301) 975-4634.
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