How to Not Fix the ID Problem.
Several
of the 9/11 terrorists had Virginia driver's licenses in fake names.
These were not forgeries; these were valid Virginia IDs that were
illegally sold by Department of Motor Vehicle workers.
So what did Virginia do to correct the problem? They required more paperwork in order to get an ID.
But the problem wasn't that it was too easy to get an ID. The
problem was that insiders were selling them illegally. Which is why the
Virginia “solution” didn't help, and the problem remains:
The manager of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
office at Springfield Mall was charged yesterday with selling driver's
licenses to illegal immigrants and others for up to $3,500 apiece.The arrest of Francisco J. Martinez marked the second time in two
years that a Northern Virginia DMV employee was accused of fraudulently
selling licenses for cash. A similar scheme two years ago at the DMV
office in Tysons Corner led to the guilty pleas of two employees.
And after we spend billions on the REAL ID act, and require even more paperwork to get a state ID, the problem will still remain. [Schneier on Security]