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Technology Stocks : Identix (IDNX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ron Ohio who wrote (25767)	4/5/2004 1:34:42 PM
From: steve	Respond to of 26039

Ron, Sure would like to see a certain name in those stories... Don't worry, not mentioned in this one either... ID bill signed despite unease Fingerprints and retinal scans can now be used to verify identity Thumbprints, eye scans can be used to confirm identity April 5, 2004 By Jerry Cornfield Herald Writer The state is giving residents another weapon against identity theft, although the governor and many lawmakers are skeptical about how effective it will be. Gov. Gary Locke on Thursday signed a law allowing thumbprints, retinal scans and other biometric measures to be used to verify the identity of those renewing or replacing driver's licenses and identification cards. Locke said the system will not prevent people from forging licenses or using fake identification to obtain a license. It is a voluntary program, and residents who choose to participate will pay a fee for the service. Under the law, the state Department of Licensing must install a system for matching the biometric measures by early 2006. The law also increases the civil penalties for identity theft from $500 to $1,000, or actual damages, whichever is greater. The original bill sought to make collection of biometric information mandatory for everyone. After amendments, the bill passed the House of Representatives on a 66-28 vote and the Senate on a 47-2 vote. In a rare moment of agreement, liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans found themselves united in opposition to the bill. In the Senate, Democrat Rosa Franklin of Tacoma and Republican Val Stevens of Arlington voted against the bill. Although Stevens welcomed the increased penalties, she said collecting biometric information could lead to a loss of personal privacy without stemming the rise of identity theft incidents. "The bill asks us to voluntarily provide a thumbprint," she said at the time of the vote. "My concern is that tomorrow the Legislature will be asked to mandate thumbprints for all drivers' licenses. We need to avoid the next step. Having a thumbprint on a few drivers' licenses is not going to protect against identity theft." Franklin said creating another database of information did not seem like an effective means of curbing the crime. "I had a lot of concerns about how the information will be used and who will get it. Whatever we put in place, someone is likely to get into it. "The only sure identifier of anyone is their genetic code, and I would not want that" on a driver's license," she said. Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com heraldnet.com steve