From: Mark <mark@lochard.com.au>
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 95 17:24:53 PDT
To: sjb@austin.ibm.com (Scott Brickner)
Subject: Re: Florida Drivers Permits and a Hello
In-Reply-To: <9508291847.AA12145@ozymandias.austin.ibm.com>
Message-ID: <199508292315.AA20208@junkers.lochard.com.au>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


>What possible value could the LEAs get by having your thumbprint digitally
>encoded on your driver's license?  It's not like the average cop-on-the-beat
>is qualified to lift a fingerprint and compare it.  Even if he was, how
>does it benefit that the fingerprint is on the license?

Here it is possible to walk into a suitably equipped police station, put your
fingertips on a sensor pad and a few seconds, if records exist, have the appear
on the computer screen. Extrapolating this it isnt a big step for a patrol
car, already equipped with a packet radio link to HQ and a data terminal,
scan in your fingerprint and check it. If the system was offline they could
easily take your rpint and compare it to that on your license. It's just a
little more proof that the license is linked to you.

Mark
mark@lochard.com.au
The above opinions are rumoured to be mine.