No, you don’t have to be a citizen to get a REAL ID.
But your REAL ID is tied to your authorization to be in the United States, and expires on the same date as your authorization to be here.
Well, that’s how it’s supposed to work.
In California, the date calculations (based upon 2006 legacy code) were screwed up for 300,000 legal residents.
“The error overrode the correct expiration date, which should have matched the end of the cardholder’s authorized stay in the United States. Under federal rules, immigrants with legal status — including permanent residents, green card holders and visa holders — are eligible for REAL IDs, but the cards’ expiration dates must align with the length of their authorized stay.”
Except when they don’t.
And for those who believe that granting REAL IDs to non-citizens is an example of California breaking the law:
The DHS approved California’s REAL IDs in April 2019 under President Trump.
“If you’re not a U.S. citizen, you must apply in person at a state driver exam station and provide a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration document proving your lawful status in the U.S.”
Unchecked disinformation runs wild in this Slashdot story, contributed anonymously.
“Only the government could spend 20 years creating a national ID that no one wanted and that apparently doesn’t even work as a national ID. But that’s what the federal government has accomplished with the REAL ID, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now considers unreliable, even though getting one requires providing proof of citizenship or lawful status in the country.”
The anonymous Slashdot contributor is either a liar or a fool. As I noted back in May after Leonardo Garcia Venegas’ first detainment (I didn’t know he was detained a second time), a REAL ID was NEVER intended to prove citizenship.
Here are California’s non-citizen REAL ID requirements, which are federally acceptable:
“This includes all U.S. citizens, permanent residents who are not U.S. citizens (Green Card holders), and those with temporary legal status, such as recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and holders of a valid student or employment visa.”
But since the REAL ID expiration date matches the date at which temporary legal status expires, it DOES prove legal presence.
Slashdot, get your facts straight.
Postscript: Slashdot lifted its claims from Reason.
But before I launch into my rant, let me define the acronym of the day: AFOID. It stands for “acceptable form of identification.”
And for years (decades), we’ve been told that the ONLY acceptable form of identification to board a plane is a REAL ID, U.S. passport, or a similar form of identity. A REAL ID does not prove citizenship, but it does prove that you are who you say you are.
“The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is launching a modernized alternative identity verification program for individuals who present at the TSA checkpoint without the required acceptable form of identification (AFOID), such as a REAL ID or passport. This modernized program provides an alternative that may allow these individuals to gain access to the sterile area of an airport if TSA is able to establish their identity. To address the government-incurred costs, individuals who choose to use TSA’s modernized alternative identity verification program will be required to pay an $18 fee. Participation in the modernized alternative identity verification program is optional and does not guarantee an individual will be granted access to the sterile area of an airport.”
I’ve love to see details of what “modernized” means. In today’s corporate environment, that means WE USE AI.
And AI can be embarrassingly inaccurate.
And if you want to know how seedy this all sounds, I asked Google Gemini to create a picture of a man waving money at a TSA agent. Google refused the request.
“I cannot fulfill this request. My purpose is to be helpful and harmless, and that includes refusing to generate images that promote harmful stereotypes, illegal activities, or depict bribery of public officials.”
So someone used generative AI to create a “European Union – United Kingdom” identity card. And if that itself wasn’t a clear enough indication of fakery, they included a watermark saying it was generated.
So I tried something similar.
But Google Gemini blocked my attempt.
“I cannot create images of identification documents, including driver’s licenses, or include text that identifies the image as fake. I am also unable to generate images that depict an impossible or future date of birth, as requested.”
As did Grok.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t create or generate any image that replicates or imitates an official government-issued ID (even with “FAKE” written on it). This includes California REAL ID driver’s licenses or any other state/federal identification document.”
Which naturally implies that IAL3 is better than IAL2, because it’s more secure.
So why doesn’t EVERYONE use IAL3?
For the same reason that childrens’ piggy banks aren’t protected with multiple biometric modalities AND driver’s license authentication.
Grok.
Kids don’t have driver’s licenses anyway.
In the same vein, in-person or remote supervised identity proofing isn’t always necessary. If your business would lose customers by insisting upon IAL3, and you’re OK with assuming the financial risk, don’t do it.
Grok.
Imagine if you had to get on a video chat and show your face and your driver’s license before EVERY Amazon purchase. Customers would go elsewhere. Amazon would go broke within days.
Which is why some identity firms promote IAL3, while others promote IAL2. (I won’t talk about the firms that promote IAL1.)
Grok.
Whatever identity assurance level your prospects need, Bredemarket can help you create the content. Let’s talk about your specific needs.
In late 2019 and early 2020 I was working on a project promoting biometric entry at sports facilities and concert venues…until a teeny little worldwide pandemic shut down all the sport and concert venues.
Some of you may remember that a pivotal day during that period was March 11, 2020. Among many many other things, this was the day on which basketball fans awaited the start of a game.
“8 p.m. [ET; 7 p.m. local time]: In Oklahoma City, it was just another game day for Nerlens Noel and his Thunder teammates, who were warming up to play the visiting Utah Jazz.”
The day soon became abnormal after a meeting between NBA officials and the two coaches. Unbeknownst to the crowd, the officials and coaches were discussing a medical diagnosis of Rudy Gobert. (That’s another story.)
“8:31 p.m. [ET]: Teams were sent back to their locker rooms but the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena weren’t informed of the cancellation immediately. Instead, recording artist Frankie J, the intended halftime entertainment, put on his show, while officials decided how to break the news.”
Eight minutes later, the crowd was instructed to leave the arena.
Twenty minutes after that, the NBA suspended all games.
Imagen 4.
A little over a month later, on April 19, millions of people were huddled in their homes, glued to the opening episode of a TV series called The Last Dance…the only basketball any of us were going to get for a while. And of course, these games were on decades-long tape delay, and we already knew the outcome. (The Chicago Bulls won.)
And that was our basketball…until the suspended season resumed on July 30 under very bizarre circumstances.
Anyway, all of that was a very long time ago.
Imagen 4.
Games and concerts have been back in business since 2021, and identity verification and authentication of venue visitors with biometrics and other factors is becoming more popular every year.
My recent Substack post explains what Identity Assurance Level 3 (IAL3) is, and re-examines my doubts about the effectiveness of so-called “voter ID” laws. Because if voter ID proponents REALLY wanted to guarantee that voters are eligible, they would have to do a LOT more. Security theater is not security. But what is the cost of true security?
There are a variety of non-person entities, all of which may engage in felonies. Take the late Maya Jean Yourex of Costa Mesa, California, who was encouraged to register to vote…even though Maya is a dog.
I’m sure that Carl DeMaio will hop on this story immediately.
Maya’s voting history
Maya first voted via mail-in ballot in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election of Gavin Newsom. We know about this because Laura Lee Yourex posted a picture in January 2022 of her dog wearing an “I voted” sticker.
This could be dismissed as a silly picture, but Laura Lee’s October 2024 post exemplifies dumb crime. According to Orange County District Attorney spokeswoman Kimberly Edds (who presumably is human, though I haven’t verified this):
“Yourex had posted [a photo] in October 2024 of Maya’s dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption “Maya is still getting her ballot,” even after the dog had passed away…”
The second ballot was rejected, but the first was counted.
Maya got away scot-free.
The fix was in. Imagen 4.
But Laura Lee potentially faces five felonies:
two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote
perjury
procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed
registering a non-existent person to vote
She is scheduled to enter a plea on Tuesday and theoretically faces six years behind bars.
“Proof of residence or identification is not required for citizens to register to vote in state elections or cast ballots in state elections, which was how Maya’s vote counted in the recall election of Newsom….
“It was not immediately known on Friday how Maya voted in that election.
“However, proof of residence and registration is required of first-time voters in federal elections, and the ballot in Maya’s name for the 2022 primary was challenged and rejected….”
Voting agencies can’t find fake IDs
However, as I have previously noted, voting officials do not have the knowledge or tools to determine whether a government identification document is legitimate.
This is fake. Well, the card is real, but it’s not official.
As long as Maya’s ID declared that she was 18 years old, some voting officials would approve it.
Even if Maya’s face on the ID was a dog face.
This is also fake. Really fake, since it’s Imagen 4 generated.
Beyond “ID plus selfie“
As for proof of residency, Laura Lee’s electric bill could list Maya on the account, and Southern California Edison would be none the wiser.
Which is why many identity verification processes go beyond “ID plus selfie” (what you have plus what you are), and also include checks of textual databases for additional evidence of the person.
I doubt that Laura Lee enrolled her dog Maya in all of these sources. How many Social Security Numbers, email addresses, bank accounts, credit cards, and other records would Maya have? “Canine identifiable information” (CII)?
Do you validate identities?
If you are a marketing leader that wants to promote your identity solution, and your company can benefit from a marketing consultant with 30 years of identity experience, schedule a meeting with Bredemarket at bredemarket.com/mark.
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