But I want to talk to you about why the real ID is different and what it actually establishes. And I’m going to use some good evidence here, mostly from the government, in order to get my points across. Okay, so firstly, before we get into the weeds, I want you to know that you are still able to travel in the air using an alternative identification form. And U.S. passports are the most obvious and common one. And passports are different, and I’m going to explain exactly why as I tell you a little bit more about the real ID.

But passports are administered by the government, not by a private company. So that is one big difference. And of course, passports are only required for international travel previously. And now, if you use it also for domestic air travel, but it’s not required for anything else. So you won’t be carrying it around with you all the time. So it can’t be used to surveil you unless you have it on you. So that is one of the big differences. But let me draw your attention to a document posted on the TSA website. And this is called the Privacy Impact Assessment for the Real ID Final Rule.

And this partly came from public comment. I believe there was something like 21,000 public comments on this topic. And this is an assessment of the concerns about privacy and what the government plans to do about it. And it uses this abbreviation or acronym PII, which stands for Personally Identifiable Information. So let me read the highlighted portions from this document. Although DHS, which is the Department of Homeland Security, which the TSA is under, cannot control how private sector third parties will use real ID cards. OK, so right there, they’re admitting that they have no control over private sector third parties and how they’re going to use real ID cards.

So that accounts for the private sector parties who actually administered the real ID cards and the databases, as well as private sector third parties who may now start requiring that you have a real ID or equivalent in order to use their services or buy their products. Now, it says here in the second highlighted portion, DHS does not intend that a real ID document become a de facto national ID. Now, they may not intend that, at least overtly. However, that is exactly what it will and can become. And further, it says here, neither the real ID act nor the requirements of the final rule expressly create a centralized database of all driver’s information.

So they don’t expressly create one, but they create one. And I’ll tell you in the next slide how they get around expressing it. And this is because it actually hasn’t at the time this document was written, it wasn’t created. There was only the plan to create it, but it’s known as the central repository. And the justification for this is that there is a requirement that any individual only have a real ID issued by one state. So if someone, let’s say, had a Massachusetts driver’s license, that may or may not be a real ID. And then they go to Minnesota and apply for one there.

Minnesota has to check to see if they have licenses that are not expired in any other states. And if there is an unexpired license in another state, they would not issue them a real ID in Minnesota. So in order to do this, there has to be a centralized database of all the information about all license holders in all 50 states, so that the states can check. And they give a whole argument about how they can’t really do it otherwise conveniently. And they call this the central repository. And it says here the access rules to the still to be built hub.

So like I said, it wasn’t actually built at the time, but it will be known as the hub. And it says that the rules will implement these protections of not including more information that’s necessary. But we know really all the information that is on a driver’s license will be considered necessary. Now it goes on here to say further, DHS is mindful that the states expect to continue to have control over their systems, their information, and the processes that govern any use or access. So in other words, the federal government knows that it can’t control the states because of the limits of the Constitution and that the states expect to maintain control over this information.

So they say what can and will be done with it. However, it goes on to say that the states have a critical role in governing the architecture of these data checks with representation from the federal agencies that operate the various verification databases. So in other words, the states can give their opinion, but it’s not necessarily going to be respected. So this is essentially paying lip service to the states that they would retain some sort of control over this information. And remember, it previously stated that it had no control over private sector third parties and how they would use the ID or the information.

So while on the one hand, they’re trying to say that they’re not setting up a centralized national ID database. On the other hand, they’re saying that is exactly what they’re doing and they’re taking it out of the state’s hands and putting it into the federal government’s hands and into the hands of private sector third parties. So that is what you are going to risk happening with your information if you participate in the system. And of course, it gets even worse than that because if we look at how this is done, is that all the states that have implemented their participation with the real ID, they essentially enter into private contracts with a company that does all of the aspects of implementation.

So they set up the database, they manufacture the cards with the required security procedures and help them administer it and such. And the company that, as far as I know, has a contract in all the states, but at least a majority of the states, is Idemia, a French company. And if we look on their website, we see what they are into. And it says here, Idemia reinforces its identity technology leadership with biometric enrollment and background check contracts with several US state agencies. So this is their plan talking about facial recognition, fingerprint capture, and other biometrics.

And the future plans for the real ID, in my opinion, are involving implementing these biometrics into a chip that will be in the real ID or in mobile IDs, which is another product that they offer. And here you could see on Idemia’s page that it contracts government-issued IDs and specifically driver’s licenses, and that it complies with the Motor Vehicle Professional Organization requirements, which is AMVA, A-A-M-V-A. And this is how it essentially gets contracts with all the states to administer this. And I just want to mention a couple more aspects of how this is going to be implemented with other government surveillance programs, such as the facial recognition technology program that TSA has implemented at airports.

And this originally started as a research project to teach their AI how to do facial recognition, but under the Trump administration, it has now been operationalized as an alternative to giving them your ID. And it’s interesting that they say right on their page about this that they’re interested in strengthening privacy and also improving traveler convenience. And we know that many of these types of surveillance programs are sold as being more convenient. And the government is no exception in using that marketing strategy. So it’s important to know here that this is a voluntary program.

And they say right on their page that people may decline the optional photo without recourse, and that if you decline it, it will not take longer and travelers will not lose their place in line for security screening. So you’re not losing anything by opting out of this, and this will keep your face out of their database. And while they say that they actually erase your photo after some period of time, obviously they have to compare it to something, and they have the results of did it match or not. And they’re going to keep that metadata type of information, and it’ll make it easier to recognize you more confidently in the future.

And this is something that, of course, can be expanded in many, many ways, including into the real ID. And there could be facial scanning technology that can be used with any public cameras. And in case you haven’t been noticing, because of the 15-minute city initiative in cities around the United States, there have been massive installations of public traffic cameras and other types of cameras. So these can all be integrated through the real ID, because the real ID bridges these federal programs with all 50 states through a private sector technology partner. So it’s a very powerful implementation of the surveillance state.

I just want to let you know that the Trump administration is trying hard to use more biometrics, and they’re mostly using it with immigration at the present moment, but they’re already, like I said through the facial recognition, using these for American citizens as well. So there’s an article here from the Associated Press that said that Trump issued a proposal that would enable USCIS to collect more types of biometrics, including voice prints, DNA, from anyone applying to enter the US, and family members, including children. So voice prints and DNA, in addition to facial recognition and fingerprints, and we’ll see what might come next.

They’re also using iris scans in immigration as well. So, in my opinion, based on everything that I have told you about today, the real ID is a real threat to your privacy and indicates the ensuing surveillance state. So I urge you to strongly consider this information, and if you agree with me, then make sure you opt out, relinquish, and use your passport for an alternative form. If today’s episode helped you connect some dots, don’t stop here. Brain fog is often the result of toxic exposure. Once you understand what’s behind it, you can start taking your mind back.

Watch Brain Hijackers for free at andrewkaufmann.com slash brain-hijackers. You’ll also find a link below in the show notes. Your mind is yours. Protect it. Sharpen it. Trust it. [tr:trw].

See more of Andrew Kaufman, M.D. on their Public Channel and the MPN Andrew Kaufman, M.D. channel.