Photo ID Cards Who Needs them Anyway?- Published article by Allen Richardson
Provided by uPublish.info at http://www.upublish.info
It may shock you to find out how many companies and even government agencies outsource their identification card needs. Is it only due to the price tag of the equipment and software needed to allow an organization to produce ID cards internally? ID cards are dictated by law in some cases and in others they bring an instant appearance of credibility to the carrier. In any case, many organizations are no longer purchasing expensive software and hardware to meet their requirements or wishes.
Being in the ID card industry, I've worked for just about every type of organization you can imagine when it comes to producing photo identification cards. When it comes to the selling the services we offer in the industry, it's almost become a self governing marketplace. An organization with the equipment to provide this type of product has to monitor their own activities since there any not real any types of laws or regulations dictated for them. It's become a dividing point between plastic card companies to either decide to produce fraudulent identification or only legitimate ID cards. In reality, there is a much higher price paid for fake identification so the temptation to sell this type of product is fairly high. As a point of reference, you can Google "fake ID cards" and find sources that can cost as much as $30 per card! When you search for a solution for a legitimate need, the range is much more competitive and usually in the $5 to $8 range.
If you accuse the organizations that have chosen to sell fraudulent identification cards of breaking the law, you have to look at the fine print in their advertisements. Many offer "novelty" identification to anyone willing to pay the price. Or you will find that some may not be based in the same country that their goods are being sold. So deciding that the companies that have chosen to sell fake identification are engaged in illegal activity isn't always the case simply because of the fine legal lines that are drawn.
So I have to question myself as to whether or not, ID cards mean anything anymore since it's so easy to purchase false identification. Although if we look around we find that many individuals and companies are required to have IDs even for the simplest of services. Financial institutions commonly require two photo ID cards to cash a check or start a new account. TSA at the airport demands a form of photo ID card as do many other security personal to enter a protected area. Everywhere we look someone is requiring some form of photo identification from us.
Legislation was recently passed that allows a retired police officer, if he carries an identification card stating his retired status, to carry a firearm anywhere in the US. Many states are now requiring private detectives and bounty hunters to carry identification to perform their duties. Although you might find it surprising that there is not a government agency that supplies these required ID cards, so all of these individuals have to search out a provider.
Even if we go beyond the requirements of law, I have to admit that when a police officer or fireman comes to my door it give me a feeling of comfort seeing them display some form of identification. So I guess even when the cards are not mandated by law, they are needed in many other areas of our daily lives.
So, as long as our society doesn't trust someone just upon their word, I'm sure we will be in a culture that requires some form of identification. Future technologies may change what is required for credentials, but in my observation, we will always need some type of photo ID card even if it's just for the latest book of the month club we joined.
Being the founder of Virtual Tournament Director and http://www.FullIdentity.com, Allen Richardson has developed solutions for registration and identification cards for over seven years. Additionally, he has served as a consultant to Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway, Southwest Airlines and many other organizations.