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Friday April 11, 2008
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The trend toward single ID cards for multiple services has come to Washington DC, but not necessarily to Capitol Hill. The DC city government has unveiled the One Card, a government-issued photo ID that will serve as a city resident's ID card, but also as an access card to public services of all kinds, including public libraries, parks, pools, and even student IDs. In the future, the government plans to extend the One Card program to provide access to the Metro public transportation system. The cards will be easy and cheaper to replace because any DC public agency will be able to issue them, and DC residents will have to carry only one card instead of a wallet full to check out a book or go to a swimming pool.
At the same time, there are privacy concerns about consolidating so much information to one repository that multiple government agencies will have access to. Some DC residents may question why the Department of Parks and Recreation need to know how much money they've set aside for Metro fare this week, or whether the Metropolitan Police needs to have access to the same database that DC Public Libraries uses to track overdue library books. Unfortunately for me, the program is open to Washington DC residents only. If commuters are ever included, I might have a chance to try the One Card out for myself.
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