Enhanced Driver’s Licence or National Identity Card?

(Andrew Clement & Colin Bennett — Toronto Star)

In the name of thrift and convenience, Canadian governments are opening the door to a privacy-threatening ID scheme imposed by the United States in the misguided pursuit of “secure” borders. Currently, the Ontario government is pushing through legislation – Bill 85, the Photo Card Act – that would “enhance” the provincial driver’s licence to meet U.S. demands.

As part of the Bush administration’s war on terror, Canadians entering the U.S. will soon need to show a passport or equivalent document in compliance with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The U.S. has already put this requirement into effect for air travel and in June 2009 it will cover all land and water crossings.

In anticipation of this and to facilitate “the efficient and secure flow of cross-border travel and commerce,” several Canadian provinces are instituting enhanced driver’s licences (EDL). Enhancing a licence in accordance with standards set by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security involves including a citizenship indicator, an optical character recognition zone and a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip.

With these features, an EDL can serve as an alternative to a Canadian passport at an American border. Promoted as cheaper and more convenient than a passport, such a licence initially appear to be a good deal. A closer examination reveals several flaws with this approach.

One of the most serious problems with EDLs is the requirement to adopt a particularly insecure form of chip – the EPC Gen 2. Over stiff opposition from the “smart card” industry as well as civil liberties organizations, Homeland Security has insisted on a type of chip that is notoriously privacy-invasive in its potential. The chip on the card will hold a unique personal identification number that anyone in the vicinity (at least 10 metres) can read with commercially available equipment and link to any other information the person may have about the card holder.

It is ironic that while some jurisdictions require the disabling of similar RFIDs in consumer items at point of purchase, there appears to be no effective way for individuals to do likewise with a card many will carry all the time. There has been no visible progress in developing less invasive features, such as a switch that would allow cardholders to turn the chip off until they want it read, or the option to request an EDL without a chip and only the optical character zone for machine reading. Read the rest here.

McGuinty, Doer Work to Ease Border Crossings

(Globe & Mail — Nov. 26/2007)

The Ontario and Manitoba governments are working to make it easier for travellers to visit the United States without a passport, but Canadians shouldn't get the wrong message and consider it an invitation to shop more in border cities, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says.

Mr. McGuinty met yesterday with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer to discuss new high-tech driver's licences the provinces are working on, which will contain citizenship data and could be used in place of passports at the border.

Streamlining the process to cross into the United States might tempt more people into shopping stateside, but Mr. McGuinty said shoppers should ignore the lure of irresistible deals and support their local economy….

The talk of easier border crossings follows a Statistics Canada report last week that found day trips to the United States hit a six-year high in September, due in no small part to Canadians taking advantage of a strong dollar and lower prices at U.S. retailers….

Mr. McGuinty said there is no exact timeline on when the new licences will be brought in, and the premiers are waiting on the U.S. government to reveal what specifications they need to satisfy their security concerns.

The provinces will then work with Ottawa to integrate citizenship information into the new ID card, said Mr. Doer, who added he is confident that the new standard will also encourage Americans to visit Canada and bolster tourism.