Real ID, Voter ID & Digital ID: The Future of American Identification

Originally Published at The Last American Vagabond

While MAGA celebrates Trump’s latest Executive Order as an effort to secure US elections, the reality is that the EO is the latest move inching Americans closer to mandatory digital identification programs.

On March 25th, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order titled Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections. This EO was aimed at securing U.S. elections after years of claims of widespread voter fraud and illegal voting. While there does exist some element of truth to these claims, they are being exploited to push the United States closer to requiring digital ID’s not only for voting, but for daily life.

The EO states that the US “fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations”. It highlights how nations like India and Brazil are “tying voter identification to a biometric database”. Although the EO does not explicitly mention the US operating a similar biometric database, that is absolutely the long term plan.

The EO outlines what qualifies as “documentary proof of United States citizenship”, including an identification document which is “compliant with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States”.

The REAL ID Act was first passed in 2005 after a recommendation by the fraudulent 9/11 Commission in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Many US states have resisted implementing the REAL ID measures for the last 20 years. However, the years of avoiding compliance with the REAL ID Act are now coming to an end on May 7th, 2025.

In January, one week before Trump returned to the White House, the TSA published the final rule for enforcement of REAL ID compliant identification cards. Beginning on May 7th, Americans attempting to board commercial flights or enter federal building will need to display state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security requirements established by the REAL ID Act.

“Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to enhance security standards for identification, directly in response to the security vulnerabilities highlighted by the 9/11 attacks,” former TSA Administrator David Pekoske said at the time. “Identity verification is foundational to security.”

One form of “REAL ID compliant” identification which is becoming increasingly popular is known as mobile driver’s license (mDL), or simply digital drivers licenses.

Real ID, Mobile Driver’s Licenses, & Digital ID

Mobile driver’s licenses are digital identification stored on a smart phone which typically include the same information as physical driver’s licenses and identification cards. At the moment, not all mDLs are compliant with the requirements of the REAL ID Act, but the TSA is granting a waiver to certain states to allow residents to use the mDLs.

These digital ID’s are beginning to roll out across North America in 3 common forms, including proprietary apps owned by a local, state, or national government; various state-approved apps like SmartID; and the Apple Wallet.

According to a guide to digital drivers licenses, users will open the chosen app, scan the front and back of their physical driver’s license, and then verify their identity with a selfie (or similar biometric data) — something very similar to what appears to already be starting on Twitter. Once verified the user can began using their digital ID app as they would a physical ID card.

Government Technology recently reported that at least five million Americans have signed up for mDLs in 11 states that have interoperable programs fully implemented. GovTech determined these figures through Public records requests. They also note that at least a dozen other states, including California, are already conducting pilots or will soon be launching their own mDL programs.

GovTech also notes that states like Iowa, Colorado and Utah have partnerships with businesses and government agencies to accept their mobile IDs. Interestingly, the businesses which have the highest rate of adoption are those which serve or sell products like liquor and cannabis. Other businesses accepting the mDLs include credit unions, security firms, real-estate companies, auto body shops, and health-care organizations.

In May 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union discussed efforts to mandate digital drivers licenses. In a report titled “Identity Crisis” the ACLU warned that the use of digital driver’s licenses,

“raises the danger that there will be no balanced assessment of the costs and benefits of such a system and that we will adopt systems that do not strike the right balance between the needs for identification, security, and convenience and Americans’ well-founded aversion to government and corporate surveillance and regimentation”.

Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said the switch to digital IDs would have “big implications” for American life. “If not done just right, digital driver’s licenses could be disastrous for privacy, increase inequity, and lead to pervasive ID checks in American life, including on the internet,” Stanley said.

In June 2022, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, a “hub for human rights study” at New York University (NYU) School of Law, issued a 100-page report detailing the growing dangers of a reliance on digital identity around the world. The report, titled Paving a Digital Road to Hell?, examined the role of the World Bank and other international networks which have been promoting the use if digital ID in recent years.

This report points a finger at the World Bank and the aforementioned ID4D initiative but also notes that the program was started with a “catalytic investment” from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Omidyar Network, as well as various governments.

“We have noted that the World Bank and its ID4D Initiative do not stand alone in pursuing the digital ID agenda. They exist within a global network of organizations and individuals,” the report states. In addition to governments like the UK, U.S., and France, philanthropic foundations, and banks, the NYU report also points a finger at “private biometrics corporations like Idemia, Thales, and Gemalto”.

TLAV has previously reported on the role of the Thales Group in advancing the digital ID agenda.

Digital ID & Facial Recognition

While compliance with the REAL ID Act does not currently require a digital ID, mDLs are the first step in that direction.

In fact, the TSA has already made it clear that they are ready and willing to accept digital ID’s from states which have begun to roll them out. They even offer a convenient map to highlight the states which are using digital IDs.

The TSA’s website on digital ID’s explains:

“Use your smartphone for identity verification with digital identity solutions like mobile driver’s licenses or ID passes, now accepted at select TSA checkpoints through platforms such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and Samsung Wallet or a state-issued app.

For the moment, American travelers have four options for presenting their identification — tap or scan a digital ID, and show a driver’s license, state-issued ID, or passport.

It’s worth noting that at the same time the TSA is accepting mDLs and REAL ID compliant ID’s they are also testing out biometric facial recognition cameras at international terminals across the United States. The TSA’s own website states, “TSA officers now use biometric cameras to assist them with identity verification. The photo is optional.” They also claim that all photo and personal data are deleted after verification.

While this biometric verification is currently optional, the TSA has received pushback for failing to adequately notify the public they can opt out of the procedure. Former TSA Administrator David Pekoske previously admitted that the government’s long term goal is to make biometric screening mandatory.

In early February, the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General announced an audit into the TSA relating to the use of facial recognition technology after a bipartisan coalition of representatives made a formal request. The lawmakers noted that in April 2023, former TSA Administrator Pekoske admitted at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas that “we will get to the point where we will require biometrics across the board”.

The dangers posed by digital ID when combined with facial recognition cannot be overstated. Wired recently acknowledged that digital passports and face scanning are rapidly expanding and represent a threat to privacy.

“While ending frustrating airport lines would be welcome for many, the shift to digital travel document also raises concerns about how data is protected, a normalization of problematic surveillance technology such as face recognition, plus whether digital ID systems will be further rolled out to other parts of society and who ultimately controls or builds these pieces of infrastructure,” Wired wrote.

Disha Verma, of the Internet Freedom Foundation, also told Wired that India’s Digi Yatra face-recognition boarding system is facing pushback. “The way that it’s happening in India is no longer voluntary, and it’s no longer something we can hold the government or anybody else accountable for,” Verma stated.

The dangers of face recognition are not new. As far back as June 2019, the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology released a report titled, “America Under Watch: Face Surveillance in the United States”, which called for a moratorium on facial recognition technology. As I warned in July 2019, the rise of face recognition should scare all Americans.

Digital ID’s Must Be Resisted

In my previous reporting I have outlined how the push for digital identity programs is a scam disguised as a human right. This scam is designed to lull the world into accepting digital identity schemes as beneficial, convenient, safe, and necessary for the world of the future.

The United Nations and the World Economic Forum both promote the use of digital identities using blockchain technology and biometric data gained by scanning the faces or retinas of individuals. The World Bank and the UN have also been funding the development of such programs as part of the Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative.

The World Bank is also funding digital biometric ID programs in Mexico, pushing digital ID in poorer countries with the ostensible goal of providing legal identity to the 1.1 billion people who do not currently have one. The goal is to get the world on digital IDs by 2030 as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives adopted by the United Nations in 2015 with the ostensible goal of ending poverty, protecting the planet, and spreading peace and prosperity to all people by 2030. However, privacy advocates and digital rights groups have warned about the dangers of digital ID programs.

During the COVID-19 panic many nations implemented “vaccine passports” as a means for travel and work. These programs were essentially the equivalent of a digital ID.

Although many people believed a Kamala Harris presidency would all but guarantee the expansion of dangerous programs like digital IDs, I warned before the election that no matter who is president the infrastructure was already in place and these schemes would expand. With Donald Trump promising to secure elections by aligning with the goals of the REAL ID Act of 2005 we are ensured to see an increase in calls for making digital IDs mandatory. To make matters worse, Trump’s calls for a “biometric entry/exit system” as the solution to fighting illegal immigration makes it clear that some version of digital IDs backed by facial recognition will soon be the norm in the United States.

It will be by air, by land and by sea, according to Trump. So that’s not just immigrants. Welcome to your Freedom MAGA Biometric tracking system: https://t.co/yu4p8mRH0D pic.twitter.com/7vqXDr6JvO

— The Last American Vagabond (@TLAVagabond) January 18, 2025

If you want to begin exploring ways to opt out of facial recognition and the rising Technocratic State, read or download my new book, How to Opt-Out of the Technocratic State, 2nd Edition.