TEXAS NEW TECHNOLGY USED FOR DRIVERS LICENCE IN TEXAS MAY STILL HAVE IDENTITY THEFT ISSUESStar-Telegram | 11/12/2005 | New-look driver's license in store for TexansPosted on Sat, Nov. 12, 2005
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New-look driver's license in store for Texans

By JOHN MORITZ

STAR-TELEGRAM AUSTIN BUREAU

AUSTIN - That driver's license photo that makes you cringe every time someone looks at it could soon save you from falling prey to identity theft.

The Texas Department of Public Safety awarded a $30 million contract last month to an Oregon technology company to develop a highly secure driver's license that incorporates biometric facial-imaging and thumbprint-verification features to better safeguard personal information.

"In states where we have already implemented this technology, literally hundreds of cases of identity theft a year have been thwarted," said J. Scott Carr, executive vice president of Digimarc Corp. of Beaverton, Ore.

"Illegitimate use of identity documents poses a threat to our personal, economic and national security. Ensuring that identity documents are issued only to legitimate holders is more important than ever in the security-conscious world we live in."

Carr said the new licenses, expected to debut in summer 2007, will be backed by computer records that will store each holder's facial image and thumbprint, along with the usual data, including name, birth date, address and identification.

If someone tries to use another's person's name, photo or ID number to obtain a driver's license, the computer records will raise a red flag, he said.

"Ultimately, it will take human intervention to address any potential problems that arise," said Carr, whose company has made driver's licenses for Texas for 11 years and produces them for more than 30 states.

Tela Mange, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety, said the agency received direction from the Legislature this year to employ facial-recognition technology in the 4 million driver's licenses and state identification cards that are issued to Texans each year.

After hearing countless horror stories that have befallen victims of the crime, lawmakers have boosted penalties for identity theft.

"They wanted a system with state-of-the-art technology that combines fingerprints with facial-recognition systems to ensure that someone is unable to use a driver's license or other state-issued documents to steal someone else's identity," Mange said. "With facial-recognition technology, I couldn't get a driver's license in some other woman's name because our photos wouldn't match."

The new system is not without risk. In March, thieves rammed a vehicle through the wall of a driver's license center in Nevada and stole computer equipment outfitted with Digimarc's biometric technology similar to what is expected to be used in Texas.

The names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, signatures and photographs of about 8,900 Nevada license holders were stored on a computer taken from the facility, according to news accounts. Also stolen were a camera and 1,700 blank licenses that could be used to make forgeries that would be nearly identical to actual licenses.

The equipment was recovered in June after officials received an anonymous tip, and it did not appear that anyone's personal information had been stolen, said Paul Masto of the U.S. Secret Service Las Vegas field office. New licenses were issued to those affected, and officials ordered personal data removed from computers in other Nevada motor vehicle offices.

Mange said she doubts that could happen in Texas because of the way the state issues driver's licenses. In Nevada, drivers receive their licenses the same day they apply for renewal. Texans get theirs in the mail several weeks later.

"Even if someone were to steal our computers [from a DPS regional office], they wouldn't be able to access your information. That's all stored in a server at a central location behind a firewall, and it's all encrypted."

Ana del Llano of the American Civil Liberties Union in Texas said the new system will allow state government to collect too much information on Texans. Rather than making it harder for identity thieves, she said, the new system might make it easier for them and more difficult on victims.

"It's like one-stop shopping for identity theft," del Llano said. "If someone steals my identity now, I can get a new driver's license number. But once all of this biometric data is on file with the state, I'll have to get a new face if someone steals my identity."

Mange and Digimarc's Carr said Texas has an impeccable track record on safeguarding private information.

"The Department of Public Safety is committed to fighting identity theft," Mange said. "We want to make sure that we have the most secure documents available."

IN THE KNOW

High-tech licenses

The Oregon firm that won a $30 million contract to redesign the Texas driver's license promises:

Biometric technology that recognizes facial features and fingerprints to thwart identity theft.

Counterfeit-proof construction to help prevent forgeries.

A networked image and data collection system that will allow the Department of Public Safety to share information with other agencies.

Critics worry that the new system:

Allows the government to collect too much personal information on law-abiding Texans.

Might make identity theft easier if someone's biometric information is compromised.