New Driver’s License System Protects Against Id Theft
Illinois secretary of state Jesse White has put together a program that will require individuals to provide more information to get a new driver’s license, in hopes of reducing identity theft and catching people with false Social Security numbers. The system, which started June 1, uses the Social Security Administration’s new Internet-based verification system to double-check people’s identities online.
“My office has already compared the entire database of 13 million driver’s licenses and identity cards against the Social Security database,” explains White. “Through that process, we have verified Social Security numbers for 96 percent of all driver’s licenses and ID card holders.” The remaining 4 percent will get a letter from the secretary of state’s office and will not be able to renew their licenses until they deal with any discrepancies.
White admits his office computer system was recently hacked, but says no sensitive records were compromised or viewed. The new system will use facial recognition technology for the photographs, and should only take a few more seconds to process than the previous system.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from NBC5.com (05/10/04) .