Panel: The National ID Debate

Black Hat Briefings, Las Vegas 2005 [Audio] Presentations from the security conference

As a result of the Real-ID Act, all American citizens will have an electronically readable ID card that is linked to the federal database by May 2008. This means that in three years we will have a National ID card system that is being unilaterally controlled by one organization (DHS) whether we want it or not. Organizations such as the ACLU are already exploring opportunities for litigation. Privacy advocates cite Nazi Germany and slippery slopes, while the government waves the anti-terrorism flag back in their faces. Compromises and alternate solutions abound. Join us for a lively debate/open forum as an attempt to find a useable solution to this sticky problem. We will review solutions from the AMANA as well as ask why passports are not considered to be a privacy problem in the same ways. Would a National ID card make us safer? What to do about 15 million illegal immigrants? If college students can fake an ID, why can't a terrorist? What civil rights are abrogated by requiring everyone to possess an ID? What problem are we trying to solve anyway and will federal preemption address them? David Mortman, Chief Information Security Officer for Siebel Systems, Inc., and his team are responsible for Siebel Systems' worldwide IT security infrastructure, both internal and external. He also works closely with Siebel's product groups and the company's physical security team and is leading up Siebel's product security and privacy efforts. Previously, Mr. Mortman was Manager of IT Security at Network Associates, where, in addition to managing data security, he deployed and tested all of NAI's security products before they were released to customers. Before that, Mortman was a Security Engineer for Swiss Bank. A CISSP, member of USENIX/SAGE and ISSA, and an invited speaker at RSA 2002 and 2005 security conferences, Mr. Mortman has also been a panelist at InfoSecurity 2003 and Blackhat 2004. He holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Chicago. Dennis Bailey is the Chief Operating Officer for Comter Systems, a top-secret, 8(a) information technology and management consulting firm based out of Fairfax, Virginia. He is also the author of "The Open Society Paradox: Why the Twenty-First Century Calls for More Openness Not Less", a recently published book which makes the case for secure identification and information sharing. He is active in the fields of identification, information sharing and security. He was a participant in the Sub-group on Identification for the Markle Foundation Task Force on Terrorism. He participates on the ITAA's Identity Management Task Group and is a member of the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License. His education includes a master's degree in political science from American University, where he worked at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies. Dennis also has a master's degree in psychology from the University of Dayton, where he worked at the Social Science Research Center. Jim Harper: As director of information policy studies, Jim Harper speaks, writes, and advocates on issues at the intersection of business, technology, and public policy. His work focuses on the difficult problems of adapting law and policy to the unique problems of the information age. Jim is also the editor of Privacilla.org, a Web-based think-tank devoted exclusively to privacy. He is a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. In addition to giving dozens of speeches and participating in panel discussions and debates nationwide, Jim's work has been quoted and cited by USA Today, the Associated Press, and Reuters, to name a few. He has appeared on numerous radio programs and on television, commenting for Fox News, CBS News, and MSNBC. Jim is a native of California and a member of the California bar. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he focused on American politics and the federal courts. At Hastings College of the Law, Jim served as editor-in-chief of the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. In addition to numerous writings and ghost-writings in the trades and popular press, his scholarly articles have appeared in the Administrative Law Review, the Minnesota Law Review, and the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. Rhonda E. MacLean is a charter member of the Global Council of Chief Security Officers. The Council is a think tank comprised of a group of influential corporate, government and academic security experts dedicated to encouraging dialogue and action to meet the new challenges of global online security. MacLean provided leadership as the Global Chief Information Security Officer for Bank of America from 1996 until 2005. At Bank of America she was responsible for company-wide information security policies and procedures, support for the lines of business in their management of information risk, implementation of security technology, cyber forensics and investigations, and awareness for the company's leadership, associate base and outside suppliers. In that role she provided leadership for a number of company-wide initiatives designed to protect sensitive customer and company information. In addition, under her leadership the bank's corporate information security organization has been a leader in innovation, filing for numerous U.S. Patents in the areas of infrastructure risk management and information security. After many years of service on some of the industry's most important associations, advisory boards and think tanks, she was appointed in 2002 by the Secretary of the Treasury to serve as the financial services sector coordinator for critical infrastructure protection and homeland security. In that role, she established a Limited Liability Corporation which brought together 26 financial service trade associations, utilities and professional institutes to work in partnership with Treasury to create several important industry initiatives designed to ensure industry cooperation and resiliency. She continues to serve as Chairman Emeritus for the Council. In September 2003, The Executive Women's Forum named MacLean one of five "Women of Vision", one of the top business leaders shaping the information security industry. MacLean was named one of the 50 most powerful people in the network industry in NetworkWorld's 2003 and 2004 issues. In recognition of her continued leadership in the security field, she was awarded CSO's Compass Award in 2005. In April 2005, The Friends of a Child's Place, a Charlotte-based advocacy for the homeless, named her one of the "First Ladies of Charlotte" in recognition of her pioneering role in information security and her support for the Charlotte community. MacLean has spent more than 25 years in the information technology industry. Immediately before joining Bank of America, MacLean spent 14 years at The Boeing Company where she was the Senior Information Security Manager for Boeing's proprietary and government programs. She is certified by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association as a Certified Information Security Manager.>