Georgia drivers licenses may use new technology

ATLANTA - Georgia motorists could have more than their vision tested if the state Legislature decides that the issuing of drivers licenses is not secure. <br> <br> If the Georgia Legislature approves the change, motorists&#39; immutable facial features could be scanned into a statewide database, part of technology known as biometrics. And civil liberties advocates say people&#39;s privacy is at risk. <br> <br> Viisage Technology Incorporated, which is based in Littleton, Massachusetts, recently signed a $20 million agreement to produce Georgia licenses for the next six years. <br> <br> Cameron Queeno, the company&#39;s vice president of marketing, says many states are considering biometrics to fight terrorism and the rising problems of identity fraud. <br> <br> He says Georgia is going to be one of the leading states. <br> <br> In biometrics, optical, thermal and audio scanners are used to record a person&#39;s features. Mathematical algorithms are then used to reduce that information to digital data. <br> <br> Susan Sports, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety, says it could happen if the Legislature decides more secure ID. cards are needed. <br> <br> But the American Civil Liberties Union and others fear that the government will use biometrics to monitor law-abiding citizens and strip people of their privacy.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/12/186749