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Identity and Economics: Terrorism and Immigration

Identity and Economics: Terrorism and Immigration. Adam Shostack Privacy Curmudgeon adam@homeport.org. Victor Lopez-Florez. An illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was paid $100 to help Ahmed Alghamdi get a real Virginia ID card. Alghamdi was one of the hijackers on UA flight 175.

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Identity and Economics: Terrorism and Immigration

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  1. Identity and Economics: Terrorism and Immigration Adam Shostack Privacy Curmudgeon adam@homeport.org

  2. Victor Lopez-Florez • An illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was paid $100 to help Ahmed Alghamdi get a real Virginia ID card. • Alghamdi was one of the hijackers on UA flight 175. • Lopez-Florez was convicted on November 19, 2001

  3. Overview • Terrorism and security and ID cards • Economics of ID cards • Bush’s Immigration reform proposals • ID cards, security, and privacy

  4. Trust • Trust, Trustworthy and Trusted • Trust is the state of accepting a risk from, or being vulnerable to someone • Trustworthy people behave to reward your trust • Trusted is someone who is able to violate the security system

  5. Driver’s License Security: Essential to Homeland Security? “It may be the only way to stay a step ahead of the counterfeiters and help keep the nation’s skies secure.” (Linda Lewis, AAMVA)

  6. National ID Card: The Ultimate Security Measure “Most of us already carry several identification cards, including a driver's license and a Social Security card, so why not something that's a little more robust?... A card that really proves you are you would simplify transactions and prevent future applications from being hindered by suspicion...”

  7. Evaluating Security Mechanisms • What problem does the security measure solve? • How well does the security measure solve the problem? • What other problems does this measure create? • What are the costs of the security measure? • Is it worth doing?

  8. Terror & ID • Strong constant ID checks may make terrorist travel & activity harder • May increase quality of intel • Will increase quantity of data • Huge dragnet, constitutionality problems • Energy misdirected

  9. Terror & ID • There is a very short list of known terrorists • A few hundred names • Terrorists know they’re on the list • Air France passengers disappeared • As does everyone named David Nelson • Lots of unknown terrorists • Checking ID does not catch unknown terrorists

  10. National Crusades • Abortion, Guns, Drugs • Always a supply and demand • War on Terrorism • No demand curve! • Bringing in economics of ID cards prevents us from winning

  11. Economics of ID Cards • Huge market for fake ids (college students, foreign workers) • ID becoming harder to forge • Transitioning to a huge market for fraudulent ID • Millions of Lopez-Florezes

  12. New Jersey Press ReleaseApril 21 2003 • “In 2002 ... the State Police arrested members of two major document fraud rings. Since the summer, approximately 200 individuals have been arrested for trying to obtain fraudulent identification from the DMV, 15 employees have been faced with criminal charges, and dozens of others have been fired.”

  13. The American Identity Infrastructure • The national id card has many uses • Driving, working, flying, drinking, voting • Drives • Fake ID • Fraudulent ID • ID cards lead to people being trusted

  14. Breadth of ID use • Ask any college student • Drinking • Ask Victor Florez-Lopez, or any other immigration specialist • Working • Renting an apartment, getting a health club membership, cell phone, etc

  15. Jenna Bush’s ID

  16. Economics of Security • Companies don’t spend on security • Should they spend those resources on checking IDs? • Companies want the customer’s money • Do they really care if the ID is real? • Doesn’t that require ignoring that the ID is fake?

  17. Where’s the Birthday?

  18. Advice to Governments Designing Systems • Everyone checking IDs reduces the value of ID systems where they really matter • Identity infrastructures and “freeloading” are a bad combination • If their name is in a database, a terrorists are really motivated to get fraudulent ID

  19. “Missing Computer Adds to Airport Screeners’ Woes” • Federal officials are quietly scouring the Washington DC area for a stolen laptop with information on dozens of airport baggage and passenger screeners that could be used to forge IDs.” • “We’ve let our screeners know they need to safeguard their personal information” • (TSA spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan)

  20. Real Advice to Governments • Legalize teen drinking • Dry up the college student demand • Legalize immigration • Dry up the working demand • Do it to save lives • Slide First Presented Blackhat Briefings, August 03

  21. President Bush Says: “We should have immigration laws that work ... we see many employers turning to the illegal labor market. ... [people] condemned to fear and insecurity in a massive, undocumented economy. Illegal entry across our borders makes more difficult the urgent task of securing the homeland. ... Our nation needs an immigration system that ... reflects the American Dream.

  22. President’s Immigration Proposal • Jobs for temporary immigrants • Require job offer • Incentives to go home • Tougher policing of business • For more details: • Whitehouse.gov Jan 7, 2004 • (see speaker notes for URLs)

  23. First Analysis • No public text yet for proposed law • Massively cuts economic drive for fraudulent ID issuance • Makes Victor Lopez get a real job • All good!

  24. Cynical Analysis • Immigrant groups critical • “Not an amnesty” • Need to leave country after 3 or 6 years • Or if lose job

  25. Cynical Analysis (2) • Breeder docs (How hard is it to start a company?) Adam’s Paper Goods, Inc + Deng Xao Ping’s Chinese birth certificate = locally valid driver’s license?

  26. Cynical Analysis (3) • Conservatives/Anti-Immigration response • “This is an amnesty” • “Too many immigrants” • Water down the proposal in Congress

  27. Security, Privacy Analysis • Novelty IDs harder to get • IDs no easier to rely on • Because of thousands of feeder docs • “I have a Chinese birth certificate because my parents were missionaries” • Biometrics mean you can probably only do this once (Unless the database is badly done)

  28. Security, Privacy Analysis • Perfect database problem • “But the computer says you’re dead!” • Association of the Living Dead, India • “But the computer says you’re a terrorist!” • Recent Air France flights (We have very incomplete information about those flights, and the people who didn’t show up.)

  29. 5 Years Out • Will the illegal border crossings disappear? • Will we see increased # of gren cards? • Shorter, less arbitrary immigration process? • Will it be legal to live without official identity papers?

  30. Conclusions • Administration is taking parts of the issue seriously • Using economic analysis of problems • Security win may be privacy loss • Need legislation to control use of government-issued ID and the data they contain

  31. Adam Shostack adam@homeport.org

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