Our national security suffered a significant shock from the September 11, 2001 attacks. When news surfaced that the plane’s hijackers used false driver’s licenses to train at flight schools and embed themselves in their local communities, the public outrage was immediate.
In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed to bridge knowledge gaps between government agencies and find new ways to prevent such vulnerabilities from future exploitation. With the Real ID Act of 2005, Congress signed into federal law new requirements from DHS for standardizing citizen documents such as driver’s licenses, passports, etc.
It is imperative to inspire trust in our citizen credentials. Equipping driver’s licenses with the latest security features to avoid counterfeiting is important not just for protecting underage youth from poor alcohol-related decision making. Creating market demand by purchasing fake IDs – and supporting criminal activity – is a threat to our national security and public safety.