February 17, 1997

Hon. Bobby Parham
Chairman, House Motor Vehicles Committee
State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334

Dear Sir:

I am writing to oppose the current practice of fingerprinting citizens when they apply for or renew a Georgia Driver's License. I urge you to support the efforts underway to repeal this measure.

Many citizens resent being treated like common criminals just to get their license renewed. In addition, I believe the following concerns are very pressing:

• No independent groups, to my knowledge, have certified the accuracy of our system. We are simply being asked to trust the vendor of the system and the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. The system will supposedly save us from having our "credit identity" stolen. Imagine what happens if the system erroneously decides that an innocent citizen is committing fraud. A new standard of personal identity has been imposed, with no legal remedies in place to guard against potential system errors.

• The system supposedly eliminates license fraud, but provides no protection against fraud upon initial entry. If the system has never seen your fingerprint before, committing license fraud is just as easy as it has always been. Presumably it is even easier now because there is no longer the 4-6 week background check. The next four years may be a "golden age" for license fraud in this state!

• The case for such an expensive and elaborate system to prevent license fraud is weak. Over a million of licenses were issued last year, but there were only 700 cases of fraud. The Atlanta Business Chronicle recently reported that the total value of the contract with Polaroid for the new licensing system is more than $7 million.

• Use of the fingerprinting database, beyond the driver's license office, is largely left to the discretion of the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. The database could be easily shared with other governmental departments or bodies. Without strong privacy protection in place, identifying information could be used as a tool for harassment or intimidation.

• The fingerprinting database could and probably will be sold to any number of private concerns. The part of the law governing release of fingerprint information into the private sector is very vague. I feel that virtually anyone will be able to obtain this information for the right price, once it is assembled. There is a great potential for misuse of this information.

• The statute passed last year to permit fingerprinting was passed quickly on the last day of the session. Many legislators who genuinely opposed license fingerprinting unwittingly voted for the measure. A vote to remove license fingerprinting from the law passed by a wide margin early in the session, but the measure was quietly reinstated behind the scenes. If the legislature truly wants license fingerprinting in place, it should be affirmed by an "eyes open" vote with adequate discussion on the floor and full general understanding of the issue.

Given all of the concerns cited above, I feel that outright repeal of the fingerprinting measure is the best option at this time. I look forward to hearing your opinion on this matter. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

cc: Members of the House Motor Vehicles Committee