The Berkeley Beacon

Issue date: 11/18/04 Section: News

Media Credit: photo courtesy of Mass. RMV Old Massachusetts license.

Media Credit: photo courtesy of Mass. RMV New Massachusetts license.

Massachusetts began issuing state-of-the-art drivers licenses and ID cards on Nov. 1 in an ongoing effort to thwart identity theft and terrorism, state officials said.

The "tamper-resistant" state licenses and identification cards, whose implementation followed similar measures in other states, are the first of their kind and the most technologically advanced in North America, according to press releases from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV).

The measure to increase the security of state issued identification cards was announced in an October press release in which Gov. Mitt Romney stressed the importance of countering identity theft crimes.

"In Massachusetts, a license to drive shouldn't become a license to steal or commit mayhem," Romney said.

Recommendations made by the Federal 9-11 Commission to employ more rigorous issuance standards are also being implemented.

Congress has already been called upon to act on decisions that would strengthen the process by standardizing the documentation required to get a drivers license.

Massachusetts currently requires applicants to present a passport or other photo identification, have a valid Social Security number and show documents verifying date of birth and state residency.

For a year and a half, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts worked with a private company to develop the licenses.

Digimarc, an Oregon-based with a division in Massachusetts, partnered with the state to produce the licenses and identification cards.

Digimarc is considered a leader in license production, with their products being used in 32 U.S. states and 20 countries.

An increased trend in counterfeiting and fraud cases spurred Massachusetts to take action.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2003.

In just one year, identity theft complaints rose 28 percent in the Bay State.

Last year, 3,600 cases were filed in Massachusetts, with 20 other states reporting more cases of identity theft.

Junior film major Trevor Byrne, from Northampton, Mass., is not planning to renew before his license expires next year.

"Identity theft is not something I usually worry about," he said. "But if [the state] is putting in all this effort, then perhaps it's something to consider."

Jon Carlisle, press secretary to the Executive Office of Transportation in Massachusetts said in a phone interview that the security precautions are more than just a concern about underage persons using fake IDs to purchase alcohol.

"The security developments were based on information from terrorist Web sites that were operating to sell fake versions for thousands of dollars," he said. "This is more than an issue of underage people being able to buy liquor on the weekends."

The new IDs are the first to incorporate all the possible security features readily available.

The most significant change is a two-dimensional, hologram-like seal called a "kinegram" that reveals unique characteristics when positioned at different angles.

The kinegram works to link a second, smaller, "ghost picture" of the ID holder by overlapping the two images.

New watermarks were designed for the front, including the Massachusetts state seal which can only be seen with an ultra violet light source.

The RMV anticipates it will take four years for the state's 4.5 million drivers to obtain the new licenses when they renew their expired ones.

It will cost $20 to exchange an old license. However, since the state wants to expedite the transition, officials said the fee may be lowered to encourage people to get the new license.

Gov. Romney noted that the rollout of the re-vamped licenses is "the first step in a comprehensive process to make the new licenses as secure as possible."

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