Page 70 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

FINGERPRINTS ARE UNIQUE 55

government (the county, city, or university) but is intended only to permit the
bearer to borrow books, movies, and other media from a library for a limited
period of time. Although a borrower may need to present a driver’s license as
identification and proof of residency in order to be issued a library card, the
card is an inexpensive and insecure method for the library to account for
its holdings, as the value of the item borrowed is relatively minor (the price of
the book, plus administrative fees and recovery costs). The library assumes
that the borrowers are members of the community served by the library
(residents, university students, etc.) and thus are likely to return the borrowed
items in good order; this also reduces the need for a more reliable form of
identification.
As the reliability of a form of identification increases, more security is
involved in generating it and authenticating the person it represents. While
library cards have a low level of security and require only modest proof of res-
idency, they are only good for borrowing books from the library. A driver’s
license requires stronger proof of identification (such as a birth certificate), but
it has more uses than just permitting one to legally operate a motor vehicle.
Alas, not everyone is completely honest about their identity; nor is everyone
completely honest about their personal history, their criminal history in par-
ticular. While a library card may be sufficient to borrow a book, other organi-
zations, such as the airline industry, require a more authoritative form of
identification. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires a
government-issued form of identification with a photograph, along with a
boarding pass, to clear security at the airport. Simply announcing “I am John
McNeil” will not convince a TSA official that John McNeil is really John McNeil,
and that he is the John McNeil who has a ticket on the next flight.

3.2.1 DRIVER’S LICENSE
Most American adults have a driver’s license, or wish they had a driver’s license.
Not only does it allow for the legal operation of a motor vehicle, but it also is
becoming an increasingly important form of identification.
To obtain a driver’s license, one of the most widely recognized forms of iden-
tification, the applicant has to present other supporting forms of identification.
These may include a statement of identity signed by a parent for someone who
is under 21, plus a Social Security card, a current U.S. passport, or a Certificate
of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship. Some states will also accept a
college or high school photo ID along with a transcript.
The driver’s license includes a feature that the other documents required to
obtain it may not: a biometric, in this case, a photograph. The photograph,
taken at the time of issuance of the license and at each renewal, makes the