Today, May 10, 2006, the President announced a war on identity theft. His comments are reproduced below.

In my view, a battle against identity theft is not what we need. What we need is a National Identity Policy (NIP). An effective national identity policy would: 1) nip a large part of identity theft in the bud; 2) Minimize the types of police state tactics that tend to be substituted for effective policy, and 3) Make life a lot more convenient for a great number of people.

The BC has been aware, since the day after 9/11 of the UBID system that has been discussed at great length was discussed on the hugely successful BC discussion list (the one that was terminated last year).

For several years I have been urging that the BC annual conference should have a thread devoted a national identity policy, including open discussion of the UBID proposal. A careful review of BC conferences since 9/11 reveals an almost total refusal of the BC to have meaningful discussion of a national identity policy on the agenda of the conference. In my view, that has been a very serious failure of responsibility.

I suggest that the leadership of the BC, come out of the National Security Agency shadows and promote an open, public national dialog amongst security experts concerning the fundamentals of a national identity policy.

The BC has been wandering in search of its own identity. Several factors, including the failure of this no longer new bulletin board, demonstrate that it does not have much of a sense of identity and has become somewhat of a bureaucratic holding pattern focused more upon avoiding controversy than on finding solutions.

Two good first steps would be to make a National Identity Policy a central item of the coming BC 2006 agenda, and revival of the international dialog that characterized the former BC discussion list.

Henry J. Boitel
Biometric Bits - The Key To Identity Management Information
Boitel@mindspring.com
============================================== May 10, 2006]

Remarks by the President After Meeting With Victims of Identity Theft


http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/05/10/1645948.htm

(Comtex Business Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)WASHINGTON, May 10, 2006 (U.S. Newswire via COMTEX) --The following is a transcript of remarks made today by President Bush after meeting with victims of identity theft:

Roosevelt Room

2:27 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Identity theft is a serious problem in America. I have just listened to the horror stories from fellow citizens who have had their identities stolen. I listened to their ideas about how the federal government can help in the response in not only dealing with those who commit the crime, but helping those who have been victimized. And I want to thank you all for joining us. Thanks a lot.


I appreciate Al Gonzales and Chairman Majoras, Deb Majoras, of the FTC for being here, because I just signed an executive order that has the Attorney General as the Chairman, the Chairman of the FTC as the Vice-Chairman of a coordinating group to make sure that this government of ours uses our assets in a responsible way, in a good way, to not only put those people who commit identity fraud in jail, but to help the victims of identity fraud.

I've signed two pieces of legislation which are important, one of which says that credit companies must issue a credit report once a year free of charge. We're very serious about upholding the law in this administration, and credit companies must look at the spirit and the letter of that law, so that when citizens ask for the free credit report on an annual basis, he or she should be given that free credit report.

I signed law enhancing penalties. Now what we're going to do is make sure that the 13 governmental agencies involved with identity theft have a well-coordinated strategy to help the victims and to put those who commit the theft behind bars.

Again, I want to thank you all very much for helping us understand the issues, but more importantly, telling a story of the emotions and the feelings that you went through during this - - difficult periods of your life.

Thank you.

END

2:29 P.M. EDT