Security Theater

Bruce Schneier, a cryptographer, computer security specialist and founder & chief technology officer of BT Counterpane, was interviewed & wrote an article for the Strib about the idea of a national ID card & other dumb security ideas.

He points out several flaws with the idea of a national ID card, (none of which is the ridiculous loss of freedom that comes with requiring such a thing)
* Cost: $23 Billion
* With current technology, any card created can still be forged
* People can still get them with false names - like two of the 9-11 hijackers did with drivers licenses
* Lost cards would require another whole system to deal with
* Human beings, who check IDs, are fallible.
* Computer scientists currently do not know how to keep that huge a database secure

So what's the point of a national ID if it provides so little real security? Schneier calls it "security theater" - something that makes us feel more secure without actually makes us be more secure. He points to airport security measures as an illustration of this principle, saying there have been three legitimate security improvements since 9-11:
- reinforcing the cockpit door
- conditioning people to fight back
- sky marshals

Everything else, he says, from checking shoes to confiscating corkscrews to limiting lotions, has no point beyond making people feel better.

A national ID card? Same thing. Give me a break.