Joe Simitian, California State Senator, eleventh senate district

On May 16, 2005, the California State Senate passed, on a 29-7 vote, the Identity Information Protection Act of 2005, SB 682. SB 682 was authored by California State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto).

Official ID cards issued by government agencies that include RFID tags could be scanned, "skimmed," or read by RFID readers and the data contained on them could be accessed. SB 682 would criminalize the unauthorized skimming of such documents, and would, with some exceptions, prohibit state and local governments from issuing identification documents containing such tags.

Supporters of this legislation, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), say that it will reduce the twin threats of identity theft and government surveillance, both of which they believe would be facilitated by the use of RFID technology on government-issued identification documents.

California Politics Today spoke today with Joe Simitian, the author of SB 682, about this legislation, what it would do, and why he believes it's important that this legislation be passed into law.

You can listen to that interview with California State Senator Joe Simitian, in its entirety, by clicking here.

For a fact sheet about SB 682 from the office of California State Senator Joe Simitian click here.

For a copy of the ACLU of Northern California press release issued upon the passage of SB 682 by the California State Senate, click here.

To find the web site of the California Assemblymember who represents you (if you live in California), click here.