{"article":{"id":14150,"heading":"EPIC Alert 9.01","author":"Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)","created":"2002-01-18 04:22:34","modified":"2005-08-15 00:52:27","last_modified":"Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:52:27","article":"

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    \r\n==============================================================
    \r\nVolume \r\n9.01                                   \r\nJanuary 14, 2002
    \r\n--------------------------------------------------------------

                             \r\nPublished by \r\nthe
               \r\nElectronic Privacy Information Center \r\n(EPIC)
                             \r\nWashington, \r\nD.C.

              \r\nhttp:\/\/www.epic.org\/alert\/EPIC_Alert_9.01.html

=======================================================================
Table \r\nof \r\nContents
=======================================================================

[1] \r\nState DMVs Developing National ID System
[2] EPIC Urges Qwest to Drop \r\nMarketing Plan
[3] Court Upholds FBI Use of Secret \"Key Logger\" \r\nTechnology
[4] Companies Stop Privacy-Invasive Practices
[5] Student \r\nPrivacy Protections Enacted
[6] Digital Rights Management Discussed at Future \r\nof Music Conference
[7] EPIC Bookstore - A National ID Card: A License to \r\nLive
[8] Upcoming Conferences and \r\nEvents

=======================================================================
[1] \r\nState DMVs Developing National ID \r\nSystem
=======================================================================

A \r\nTask Force of the American Association of Motor Vehicle
Administrators \r\n(AAMVA) announced plans today to increase uniformity of
state driver's \r\nlicenses and information sharing between states and law
enforcement \r\nagencies.  The AAMVA proposal combines several
initiatives, each with \r\nvery different privacy implications, and asks
for $100 million in federal \r\nfunding to determine what technology
should be used and to expand information \r\nsharing capacity.  Efforts to
enhance document security and prevent \r\nforgery, such as improved
holograms and printing techniques, are a positive \r\napplication of
technology to the driver's license regime.  The AAMVA \r\nalso advocates
stricter enforcement and tougher penalties for fraud and abuse \r\nof
driver's licenses occurring inside and outside of \r\nDMVs.

Standardization of driver's license security features and \r\nissuance
standards across the 50 states, as well as information sharing \r\nwith
federal agencies and state law enforcement, would make the \r\ndriver's
license a de facto national identity card.  The AAMVA has \r\nnot
disclosed how the detailed personal information required to obtain \r\na
license, including residency and immigration status and social
security \r\ninformation, will be collected, used and shared under the new
program.  \r\nThe AAMVA has also proposed making the driver's license a
unique \r\nidentifier.  While they have not yet determined what technology
will be \r\nimplemented, they plan to use biometric or other identifiers
to positively \r\nensure that license applicants are who they say they
are, and that no person \r\nholds more than one license.  This proposal
presents the most \r\nsignificant privacy and security risks, which are
detailed in EPIC's ID Card \r\nand Biometrics pages referenced below.

The possible creation of national \r\nidentification cards through
driver's licenses deserves careful examination \r\nand open public
discussion.  EPIC is in the process of drafting a memo \r\ndiscussing the
risks and policy implications of national identification \r\nschemes, to
be prepared in time for the AAMVA's leadership summit, where the \r\nheads
of the state DMVs will discuss the task force's \r\nrecommendations.

AAMVA's website (including an archived webcast of the \r\nJanuary 14th
press conference):

     http:\/\/www.aamva.org\/

EPIC's ID Card Page:

     http:\/\/www.epic.org\/privacy\/id_cards\/

EPIC's Biometrics \r\nPage:

     http:\/\/www.epic.org\/privacy\/biometrics\/

=======================================================================
[2] \r\nEPIC Urges Qwest to Drop Marketing \r\nPlan
=======================================================================

Last \r\nweek, millions of Qwest customers across the country received
opt-out notices \r\nin their monthly billing statements.  The notices,
which were contained \r\nwithin a pamphlet that said \"the following will
not affect your billing,\" \r\nprovided that Qwest could use customer
calling data -- information such as \r\nservices subscribed to and call
logs -- unless customers opted-out of this \r\nplan by calling a toll-free
number within 30 days.

Customers \r\nattempting to call the toll-free number to opt-out have
reported numerous \r\ndifficulties, including long waits and disconnects.

The information that \r\nQwest is planning on using is known as customer
proprietary network \r\ninformation, and is protected from use absent
\"customer approval\" by the 1996 \r\nCommunications Act.  The FCC
promulgated a rule in 1998 that required \r\ntelecommunication carriers to
obtain explicit customer approval (opt-in) \r\nbefore using such
information in any manner inconsistent with provision of \r\nservices. The
FCC explicitly rejected an opt-out approach as \r\ninsufficiently
protective of customer privacy.  However, in 1999 the US \r\nCourt of
Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled that the opt-in approach did \r\nnot
pass First Amendment scrutiny because the decision to require \r\n\"opt-in\"
was not adequately considered or supported by existing \r\nfacts.

In response to this 1999 court decision, the FCC in October \r\n2001
issued a request for public comments, seeking advice on, among \r\nother
things, whether an opt-in approach inherently violates the \r\nFirst
Amendment.  EPIC and consumer groups filed comments and reply \r\ncomments
urging the FCC to implement an opt-in approach.  Similar \r\ncomments were
filed by 39 Attorneys General.

In a letter sent to Qwest \r\nPresident Afshin Mohebbi on January 7, EPIC
urged Qwest to suspend their \r\nmarketing plan.

Although the initial comment period closed in November, \r\nthe FCC has


 
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