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ID Card Issues

Started by Smokey, July 20, 2007, 07:05:11 PM

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Smokey

So.....we talked about getting the DOD/AF style ID....guess what?   Now the military may have to change that card....

From the Air Force Times...

House bill would make new ID cards illegal

By Amy Doolittle - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 20, 2007 9:33:23 EDT
   
A House committee passed legislation Wednesday that would render the Pentagon's new ID cards illegal.

The Next Generation Common Access Card, developed to increase military ID card security and effectiveness, is currently given to service members and government employees only as old ID cards expire. Among other security improvements, the new CAC system removes the holder's Social Security number from the card's face and instead includes it in the magnetic strip.

But the "Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2007," passed unanimously by the House Ways and Means committee, would prohibit the government from not only displaying Social Security numbers on any ID cards, but also embedding the numbers in card magnetic strips or electronic chips.

The bill contains no provisions or exemptions that would allow the Social Security number to be embedded or included on cards. The bill may be amended during floor debate to grant an exemption for military ID cards or allow the numbers to be included if they are sufficiently encrypted, committee staff said.

Pentagon officials declined to comment on pending legislation, but said Defense Department is working to remove the data from the cards.

Committee staff said the provision is meant to protect service members from identity theft. Even when placed in a magnetic strip, they said, the information can still be stolen.

Similar bills have cleared the committee twice in the past eight years but have never become law. The current legislation has 24 cosponsors and broad bipartisan support.

If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
To err is human, to blame someone else shows good management skills.

RiverAux

Why would the military want an exception to this law?  Haven't military members faced enough personal info security problems lately due to other lax measures at DoD and VA? 

Smokey

I think it's a Catch 22.  Years ago the military dropped serial numbers and instead went to Soc Sec numbers for ID.  At the time it seemed a good idea....identity theft wasn't an issue.  CAP used soc sec numbers for ID too.  But along came modern technology and modern crook methods and the social security number became the number to have to commit crimes.  If the military can't have Soc Sec numbers on the cards....then they would have to go back to serial numbers for the entire military.  Not sure how that would affect veterans who are only listed by Soc Sec numbers.   
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
To err is human, to blame someone else shows good management skills.

RiverAux

It would take about 0.0009 seconds to assign new numbers to everyone in the military and retired vets --just adding another column to some database, sticking a bunch of numbers in it and linking it to the Soc Sec number in the existing column.  Granted it would take a bit longer to rework all the id cards. 

gallagheria

This should not be hard to understand, but SSN's are not the problem. SSN's are everyone's focus because SSN's are used currently as identification--as your "official" name. If we stop using SSN's for all purposes save Social Security taxes, then fine--but guess what? The new "name" you get will then be stolen and used.

There will always be a number on your driver's license, there will always be a serial number if not a social security number used by the military, and there will always be something called YOUR NAME!

So fine, do away with SSN's as your primary form of identification. Something will have to separate Bubba Joe living in Georgia from Bubba Joe living in New York. The military will have to use SOME form of identification besides your name. I am sure identity thieves will actually cheer when this passes--because then they won't even have to know your SSN to steal your identity because no one will be allowed to request it to begin with, even from them.


O-Rex

I don't see it as a big deal.

We went through the same thing about 5 years ago.

I mean, if CAP could do it, why can't DoD?

Smokey

I think the issue with DOD is the number of folks. Don't forget this includes Regular, Reserve, National Guard, inactive reserve, civilians, etc.  CAP had nowhere near the number of folks as DOD does when we made the change.

Then as I mentioned before...veterans who are receiving benefits add to the numbers.  They have all their records under Soc Sec numbers.   They too would need serial numbers or the like.

I have no doubt it can be done...just a bit labor intensive. 

The new number...like the old serial numbers..would not lead to issues of identity theft like Soc Sec numbers.  The DOD folks would still have Soc Sec numbers like the rest of the U.S.  The military had a serial number for years and years to identify its personnel. Then someone had the great idea to just use Soc Sec numbers. This was before computers, the internet, etc came into vogue and the dirt bags of the world found an easy way to steal. The DOD serial number would only be used for DOD purposes.  ( A note...on fitness reports /evaluations the raters Soc Sec number used to appear along with his/her name.  A few years ago the military started blocking those out  due to Identity  theft)  Just as I have a six digit employee identification number for work...that number does no good as far as stealing my identity.  You could not use it for obtaining credit, etc.
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
To err is human, to blame someone else shows good management skills.

Dragoon

Getting rid of SSNs means changing every information system in DoD that uses SSN as the primary key.  Literally hundreds of systems.  My guess is that we're talking half a billion dollars or more and several years to make all the software changes.  Not a task you take on likely, especially when you've got armored vehicles to buy.

Hence the hesitency to do this without some really careful planning and budgeting.

BillB

I don't recall any problems when DoD switched form serial numbers to SSN. Or any problem with CAP when the change was made from ID number to SSN and later back to an ID number. I can still access my records using wither my AF serial number or SSN.
Gil Robb Wilson # 19
Gil Robb Wilson # 104

bosshawk

I would love to go back to my original Army serial number: it meant more to me than any dozen SSNs.  Ask any vet from the times prior to going to SSNs and they all remember their serial numbers.  Some even remember their rifle serial numbers from basic.

Ho hum: more things to get riled up about.
Paul M. Reed
Col, USA(ret)
Former CAP Lt Col
Wilson #2777

Dragoon

Quote from: BillB on July 26, 2007, 08:16:21 PM
I don't recall any problems when DoD switched form serial numbers to SSN. Or any problem with CAP when the change was made from ID number to SSN and later back to an ID number. I can still access my records using wither my AF serial number or SSN.

A lot more IT systems now.  And many of them are COTS (commercial off the shelf software) that use SSN as the key, and have no easy way of inserting an additional field.

Your personnel records are only a small part of the puzzle.  There are finance systems, housing systems, transportation systems, personal travel systesms, accountability systems....all focused on SSN.

DoD knows it will need to change, but they want to do it slowwwwly.  Makes sense - whenever the gov't does a knee jerk, it tends to spend way to much money and make a bunch of mistakes.