Immigration Bill Could Spur ID-theft

A major element of the Bipartisan Immigration Reform bill calls for the creation of a massive computerized Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS), based on what the White House calls "unprecedented sharing of information across numerous electronic databases."

That's troubling, because while nobody has proven better at the "unprecedented sharing" of our personal information than the federal government, it's usually an unprecedented mistake.

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Should the Immigration Reform bill become law, employers will be required to verify their employees' eligibility to work in the U.S. through the EEVS. As part of the legal residency verification process, the EEVS will allow employers to access identification photographs stored in all government databases, including state departments of motor vehicles.

When employers use the EEVS, they will also have access to identity-theft-rich information about us, including:

• Social Security records;
  
• passport and visa records;
  
• birth and death records; and
  
• state driver's license information

The White House's Fact Sheet describing the EEVS, makes no mention of data security or, more importantly, protection of personal privacy.

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to begin its debate of the Bipartisan Immigration Reform bill (S. 1348) today. Liberal Politics Guide Deborah White looks at the pros and cons of this controversial piece of legislation.

Also See:
Pros and Cons of Immigration Bill (Liberal Politics)
Protect Yourself from ID-Theft