The U.S. House Of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a spending package on Thursday, May 5, that would, in part, establish a nationally issued, federally approved ID card. The card will be issued within 3 years of the legislations approval.

Starting three years from now, if you live or work in the United States, you’ll need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Practically speaking, your driver’s license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards.

What will be on the cards?

At a minimum: name, birth date, sex, ID number, a digital photograph, address, and a “common machine-readable technology” that Homeland Security will decide on. The card must also sport “physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes.”

News.com has a pretty extensive FAQ article about the cards and how they will be implemented. Wired.com also has some information on it, as well as how the Homeland Security Department is trying to spin the fact that it will use RFID without calling it RFID.

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