WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Phase Three of REAL ID Act enforcement by the federal government began January 19, 2015, directing federal buildings with Security Levels 1 and 2 designations to stop accepting driver's licenses from non-compliant states for admittance, expanding enforcement to "[s]emi-restricted" areas of Federal facilities.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated eight states and one U.S. territory as being non-compliant with REAL ID rule requirements and subject to enforcement: Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, and American Samoa. New Hampshire and Idaho had previously received time extensions that were not renewed by DHS.

President of Keeping IDentities Safe, Brian Zimmer, commented, "Most states are moving forward to improve security in their driver's license issuance process. However, it remains to be seen whether DHS will maintain rigor in its enforcement of all REAL ID requirements. Governors of non-compliant states need to wake up to the future inconvenience of their residents having to use another form of identification to board airliners beginning in 2016. Given the large number of federal facilities in New York, it is a real mystery that Governor Cuomo of New York hasn't taken steps to comply with REAL ID. The silence of New York's newspapers and television stations in that regard is equally mysterious."

The REAL ID Act of 2005 prohibited the federal government from accepting driver's licenses and ID cards for admittance to secure federal buildings, nuclear facilities, and for boarding commercial aircraft, unless they meet minimum security standards set by the DHS. To meet the REAL ID standards, state motor vehicle agencies must incorporate counterfeit resistant security features in their driver's licenses, require applicants to provide a variety of proofs of identity, and confirm the authenticity of those documents with the issuing agency. Since the final REAL ID rule was issued in 2008, much progress has been made in upgrading driver's license security. However, vulnerabilities still exist. Major information systems have yet to be rolled out which are necessary to automate validation of proofs of identity presented by applicants.

As of January 27th, 2015, twenty two states and the District of Columbia issue REAL ID compliant driver's licenses. Twenty states and four territories are now committed to become compliant, but have tasks remaining. Most recently Washington State sought and obtained a time extension to comply.

About Keeping IDentities Safe:

Keeping IDentities Safe is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, not for profit, crime prevention education public charity, supported by donor contributions from across the United States. Its slogan, "Working to protect the identity of every American", embodies its commitment to higher standards for both government and private entities that issue identity credentials, especially state agencies that issue driver's licenses and ID cards. Keeping IDentities Safe undertakes research projects addressing best practices for DMVs, compliance with federal laws and regulations, identity fraud prevention and related identity management topics. It provides research results and educational programs to the public and to state and federal officials. Keeping IDentities Safe is a member of the Document Security Alliance and of the American National Standards Institute.

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SOURCE Keeping IDentities Safe

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http://www.secure-license.org