Tag Archives: real id

AFOID With an Expanded A: If You Pay the Money, Who Needs REAL ID Anyway?

I’ve vented about this for years. Some people have vented about this for decades. And it’s been discussed for decades.

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.

USA.GOV put it best:

“If you do not have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state-issued ID, you will not be able to use it to:

“Access federal government facilities or military installations

“Board federally regulated commercial aircraft

“Enter nuclear power plants”

Pretty straightforward. Get a REAL ID (or other acceptable document such as a passport), or there are some things that YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO.

So you needed that AFOID by May 2025…

Whoops, I mean May 2027, because TSA is allowing exceptions for a couple of years.

Whoops, I mean probably never.

If you pay some bucks, you can use a MODERNIZED system. Biometric Update alerted me to this new item in the Federal Register.

“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 I had to tone the request down.

Examining Voter ID From an IAL3 Lens

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?

“Examining Voter ID From an IAL3 Lens” on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnebredehoft/p/examining-voter-id-from-an-ial3-lens

(Picture Imagen 4)

The Late Maya Jean Yourex, Canine Identifiable Information, and Voter Fraud

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.

Nathaniel Percy of the Orange County Register points out an important difference between the two elections in which Maya participated:

“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. 

Socure, for example, accesses over 400 global data sources to verify identities or identify fraudulent ones.

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.

Drive content results.

When Prospects Ask Technical Marketers the Tough Questions

Some technical marketers are expert at spinning soft fluffy stories about how their AI-powered toilet paper can cure cancer…which can be very persuasive as long as the prospects don’t ask any questions.

  • For example, let’s say you’re telling a Chick-fil-A in Kettering, Ohio that you’ll keep 17 year olds out of their restaurant. Are you ready when the prospect asks, “How do you KNOW that the person without ID is 17 years and 359 days old, and is not 18?”
  • Or let’s say you’re telling a state voter agency that you’ll enforce voter ID laws. Are you ready when the prospect asks, “How do you KNOW that the voter ID is real and not fake? Or that it is fake and not real?”

Be prepared to answer the tough questions. Expert testimonials. Independent assessments of your product’s accuracy. Customer case studies.

Analyze your product’s weaknesses. (And the threats, if you’re a SWOT groupie.)

And call in the expert help.

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers

California Voter Proof of Identity AND Citizenship: How?

(Imagen 4)

This post provides an update on election integrity, which I haven’t discussed since March.

The update? Assemblymember Carl DeMaio wants to put a proposition on the 2026 California ballot that achieves three purposes:

  • “[R]equire the state to verify proof of citizenship when a person registers to vote.”
  • Require voters to “provide identifications at the polls.”
  • “Those who vote through mail-in ballots would have to give the last four digits of a government-issued ID such as a Social Security number.”

Let’s go through these…backwards.

Mail-in ballots

The third proposal about authenticating mail-in ballots is silly. 

The mere fact that someone knows the last four digits of a Social Security Number does NOT prove that the person is the valid holder of the Social Security Number in question. 

Frankly, I’m surprised that DHS released Leonardo Garcia Venegas just because he knew a Social Security Number. Of course, I’m also surprised that they determined his REAL ID was fake.

In-person ballots

Which brings us to the second proposal about requiring a government ID for in-person voting. 

I’ve already addressed why this is silly. The short version? Election precinct workers have neither the equipment nor the training to tell whether a government ID is real or fake.

Not an official government-issued ID. From https://www.al.com/news/2022/10/alabama-gop-chairman-made-the-photo-id-he-used-to-vote.html.

Voter registration…and re-registration

That only leaves the first one, proving citizenship at voter registration. This one is technically feasible; the feds do it all the time. The California Secretary of State could merely adapt the federal I-9 process to the state level; I’m sure Janice Kephart and her company ZipID would love to help the state with that.

Especially since the requirement for election integrity dictates that all of California’s existing voters would need to re-register to prove their citizenship.

All 22+ million of them.

Because if you DO NOT require all California voters to re-register, the whole exercise is pointless.

You Can START the REAL ID Application Process Online

The Federal Trade Commission sort of got it wrong.

“If you want to use your driver’s license to fly, you’ll need a REAL ID. If you don’t have one yet, your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is the place to go, and they’re only taking in-person appointments.”

The FTC is attempting to warn against scammers who claim to offer REAL ID services and then defraud you.

But at least in California, you can START the REAL ID application process online. At the California DMV website, of course.

“During the online REAL ID application process, you will be prompted to upload documents that prove identity (e.g., valid passport or birth certificate) and residency (e.g., utility bill, bank statement).”

But you can’t do EVERYTHING online.

“Uploading images of these documents online will save you time when you visit the DMV office to complete your application so don’t skip this step. Bring the original documents submitted online to your REAL ID appointment.”

But whatever you do, don’t upload your documents to “the-real-id dot cn.”

Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) vs. REAL ID

Unlike a REAL ID, which merely proves lawful presence in the United States, an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) also proves citizenship.

The catch? Only certain states bordering Canada offer them.

Originally developed for both U.S. and Canadian use as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, as of May 2025 EDLs are only offered by the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. California considered issuing EDLs, but rejected the idea because of privacy concerns surrounding the underlying RFID technology.

No Canadian province offers EDLs any more. The last province, Manitoba, discontinued them in 2022.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas is a U.S. Citizen…but REAL ID Holders Don’t Have to Be

The Parnas Perspective offered its take on Garcia’s story. From Parnas’ post:

“Authorities allegedly dismissed the ID as fake and used force to detain him, with bystanders shouting that he was a citizen.”

Also listen to the accompanying video (which states that Garcia was born in Florida), and see my prior post.

Non-citizen REAL IDs? Sure.

One important clarification: non-citizens CAN obtain a REAL ID…provided that they are lawfully in the country and hold certain documents.

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. For Californians with temporary legal status, their REAL ID DL/ID card will expire on the same date as their U.S. legal presence document, and they can receive a new card with a documented extension of their legal status.”

(Imagen 4)

Leonardo Don’t Lose That Number

You know that I’ve railed against solely relying on knowledge-based authentication: for example, by relying on a person’s knowledge of a name and a birthdate to gain access to protected health information.

What when knowledge-based authentication receives HIGHER trust than other proofs of identity?

There is a story about Leonardo Garcia Venegas, who was working in Foley, Alabama. Apparently he was caught up in an immigration raid. So Garcia, who is a U.S. citizen, did the intelligent thing: he brought out his REAL ID, a document that can only be issued to someone after they prove they are a U.S. citizen.

Except…

“Garcia told Noticias Telemundo that authorities took his ID from his wallet and told him it was fake before handcuffing him.”

So how did he finally get released?

“Garcia said he was released from the vehicle where he was held after he gave the arresting officials his Social Security number, which showed he is a U.S. citizen.”

So apparently having a REAL ID counts for nothing, while being able to rattle off a Social Security Number counts as proof?

Frequent fliers and voters take note.

(Imagen 4)