ı am pardox

I guess a lot of our personal information will now go into databases on both sides of the border. The question is - who has access to these databases and can we trust them?

how secure can they be???
People are hacking in everything they can get their hands on and they will put all the personal information on this licences so callad high tech licence what if someone hacks in to it whta then who will take responsibility??

It is important that the United States have proof that the people entering the country are registered Canadian citizens because this means they cannot have any ill-will against the country.

Enhanced security features will ensure common imposters will have difficulties. Only powerful, well-financed organizations will be able to hack the system and reproduce official documents.

As to can we trust those collecting and using our personal information: the relationship between watcher and watched is inherently skewed. The one behind the security camera, the authorities with the guns, are hidden and unaccountable whereas we are exposed and vulnerable. Is this fair? Is this right? What can be done about it?

Unaccountable because most politicians, certainly the ones the get into positions of power, lie to get there. Dalton McGuinty has broken all his election promises so far but, lo and behold, he is still holding the reigns. I think he should at least be fired. In a court of law, lying is perjury. It is a criminal offence punishable with jail time. How is it then, that some one whose decisions are highly consequential, affecting large numbers of people, can get away with impunity.

Is this democracy? If it is, who would want it? BTW, two wolves and a sheep are on a desert island, they take a vote to see what's for dinner.

goes to show you that we are becoming one step closer to the north american union, soon everything (our identity, money) will be on chips, and every move we take will be tracked

GET READY FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN UNION PEOPLE!!! this is your NAU de facto passport. Worried about ID theft, well the RFID tags will only make so much easier. Anybody with a rfid scanner will be able to read all your info.

Sure, that's a worry - unless it's suitably encrypted!

There's so much information flying around now that it's a losing game trying to hold it back. We need to concentrate on ensuring that it is protected.

This is crazy! It's just one more step towards a new and scarier form of ID card or "papers" as they were known during the World Wars.

Honestly my sister in law is the first person to get the new license. It is pretty sick! Like when she got we were all like hooolllyy lee!

Can anyone find a picture of the new ontario drivers license? I work in a bar and we are having trouble with identifying the new id's. We have never seen the new one.

I just got my new license. It's pretty nice. I'm not sure what you guys do that you have to keep it hidden from the government, but I couldn't care less about what they know about me. I want them to know I cross the border every month and that I'm not affiliated with any gangs or terrorist groups. I own a house, I bank with BMO and I buy my socks at Walmart. The more they can know about me the better. As an honest, tax paying citizen this card benefits me. The only thing that could better prove who I am is my fingerprint and I'll be thrilled the day they put that into affect. Collection of information does not constitute a police state and the useless comparison above to Nazi Germany is cliche and tacky. There is a slight difference between border control and genocide. When they use your "papers" to dictate what rights you are entitled to, then you can march on parliament hill. There are greater injustices going on in this country that you have all conveniently overlooked. As it is, the government is just letting you know that they are remembering the information that you're giving out. Information that anybody could readily observe if they really wanted to. You live in a public society and the public has eyes. You are condemning the government for actions that it has the capacity to make, but has not expressed the intent of making. Which is exactly the type of prejudicial stereotyping you are fighting for them not to do. Congratulations, you're all hypocrites and I'm glad someone is keeping an eye on you.

In response to the lastest comment by 'eric', who seems very optimistic about the new driver's licences having RFID chips imbedded in them, I would like to look at the facts... An RFID chip can be read up to 20 feet away as per the following site http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleprint/3552/-1/1 ... secondly, an RFID scanner can be purchased by just about anyone willing to dish out the approximate $4200, as per this site http://store.idautomation.com/symbol_rfid_mobile_scanner.asp ... now putting it all together, everyone carrying all of their personal info on an RFID chip located in their licence, including your name, address, citizenship, social insurance number, date of birth, drivers licence number, and eventually bank account and credit information; is subject to invasion by anyone carrying a scanner past their house, their work, rush hour traffic, movie theatre, you name it, reads all your info, selling it for a minimal cost, can make back in no time the $4200 they spent on a scanner in the first place. So don't tell me that after thinking this through that it could ever possibly be a good thing for the government to have access to all your info and put it into a single piece of ID in your wallet.

PresCat, instead for looking at the basic level of information, why not look in to the subject a little more before making comments like you just did. Fact is that the RFID is only one part of the equation, if you were able to decrypt the data you would find that it is a unique identifier and not your personal data, the unique identifier can and will be used to look-up your data in a database that is protected by the government. The main fault with prior ID was there was little cross validation that the ID was real, now looking real and being real are not the same anymore. Anyone can fake a document or an ID, but good luck getting access to the database that verifies the ID. If you think I am incorrect simply buy the scanner and try for yourself, you will NOT collect private data, the best you will do is capture an encrypted unique identifier. How dumb do you think the people behind the ID is? Do you really think they would design something that would put themselves at risk? Not a chance. In the security world, the best security experts are the most paranoid people you will find, and I am happy they are that way. At the end of the day you are better off with the new ID and as a normal everyday person, you will not have trouble. As a person of interest or someone who the government is interested in finding, good luck hiding now. One day all cars will be scanned and a valid driver’s licenses in the car will be required, if no license is found the car will be pulled over and examined. One day all public transit purchases will require ID. So with that said one day no one will be able to travel without valid ID available, the only option will be to walk or be a passenger in a car, other than that you will have no options. This will go a long way in to finding people quickly and following their movements, and I for one welcome this.

Thanks for your imput Jay, I'm sure you're info is correct, however in today's world, no encryption is ever 100% hacker safe. Hackers are generally one step ahead.

I concur with PresCat, with regards to identity thieves...there is nothing you can do..as technology advances so do criminals...with regards to the government this is probably just another page in the book of government deception...so therefore you can only wait and see....i got my tickets to australia in case the US pisses off the wrong people

You would always be able to market an RFID proof wallet which stops the RFID from getting picked up too!

I really get sick and tired of people saying that since they have nothing to hide then they don't care about our civil liberties being destroyed. You may have nothing to hide TODAY, but what about TOMORROW? In the future things that are legal will be illegal.

When the average Joe thinks of fascism, he or she thinks about Hitler and the related genocidal acts.

Fascism is not necessarily related to genocide. It is not the only form of government that has committed atrocities. What about the 1 million people who starved to death due to the sanctions imposed by Bill Clinton on the citizens of Iraq? The USA is supposedly a democracy, so how could this happen?

Fascism is corporate control of government. Can anyone deny that politicians are in the hands of corporations and lobbyists? Do you really think they are passing laws in our best interest?

“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power” - Benito Mussolini

I'm sure that the "good Germans" thought they had nothing to hide too. Stop being naive! Stop trusting the government! Do you really think they're doing this to prevent identity theft? Think again.

The Canada we know is slowly being destroyed by incrementalism.

"Politicians have learned to excel at the practice of incrementalism. They achieve astonishing transformations undetected and unopposed because they are able to slice the transformation into minute pieces, each of which passes unnoticed through the body politic. Moreover, the exercise of using incrementalism is often cloaked in the language of that supreme democratic virtue: compromise. Today's compromise is tomorrow's creeping incrementalism." - Chad C. Knudson

It's just like the proverbial frog in the pot being slowly boiled.

As a couple of previous posters stated - this is simply the next step to a North American Union ID card. Google "North American Union" and "SPP". See what you find.

Can someone please confirm that the new Ontario licenses do or do not have an RFID chip in them. I'll keep my "way out to the left" views to myself, I'm simply looking for a straight answer ... yes or no on RFID?

This is hardly an invasion of privacy. It's simply a better version of the ID we already consent to. There are enough legitimate purposes for this ID for the masses (us) to benefit from. I do hope you realize that the majority of places that examine ID have access to the information on it - this is just to ensure you are that person.

As for those paranoid about the security of it. All of Canada's conservative major banks are soon to be implementing similar technology. Don't think for a minute that our banks are dumb enough to jump into it without determining that risk is incredibly lower than what it is today [note the distinction from being fool-proof].

For the record, most ID theft isn't because of corporate insecurity, but our own stupidity.

soon rfid will be an implant not on a card anymore.

If RFID chips can be read at a distance away anyone will be able to access your information

yep i agree with "el_capitano"(if that is your real name.. HA!!)

just wait and see what happens in 10 years. these next years are just the begining of the end of "freedom" "privacy" etc... we will have no say in anything. mindless robots almost.

I have the new Ontario license and as I understand from contacting the MTO, there is currently no citizenship data or social insurance information stored on the card.

I'm not the most technological person in this conversation, I'm quite sure. But, as I understand RFID, it is a physical chip that is obvious (gold, etc.) My new license does not have anything of the sort. It does however carry a second set of numbers that I am not sure of, called DD/REF and some pretty high tech security features.

I was amused with the new license actually and contacted both the US and the Canadian Border Authorities to confirm that it was acceptable proof to cross by land (without other documentation.) The US says that it is not at this time and the CBSA says that it is.

With that said, there has to be some form of citizenship data associated with the card for the CBSA to allow it as an acceptable entry document by itself.

As to the debate of privacy, I remain neutral. I just wanted to add the information that I have been able to gain.

RFID can be a tiny little ant-sized thing - they don't have to look like a chip or be obvious.

open up your eyes it's spiritual warfare that we're dealing with!The dark one is very clever and disguises his self as an angel of light! What may look innocent right now will take on a whole new meaning later.Ask JESUS into your heart (providing that you havent already done so.)The foundation for antichrist has reared its ugly seven heads and ten horns.If a person is decieved in taking on this then the mark of the beast isn't going to be that hard to take!I'll be praying that those who think that this in some strange way will be an added plus to your lives will have their eyes spiritualy oppened! thanx PH GODbless

NEW WORLD ORDER=
-ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT (CONTOLLED BY A SECRET CABAL OF THE ELITE)
-ONE WORLD MILITARY
-ONE WORLD CURRENCY
-A COMPUTER CHIPPED POPULATION!

We are in the midst of the biggest form of fascism the world has ever seen. Many are incapable of conecting the dots because they're minds have been so programmed from thousands of hours of t.v. Be patient with them. There is a very real movement happening right now against the New World Order and we're not just a bunch of conspiracy nuts (thats just a conditioned reaction/ aversion to the truth.) For those of you who know... I commend your courage. For those that do not... please do the research before reacting. Apathy and Ignorance are an epidemic thats killing the planet. WAKE UP!

WELL SAID MAGE! We're out here my friend. I'm one of many, and I know EXACTLY what's really going on. I've put in my t.v. hours, believe me, but I see clearly the distraction from reality that it is. I am a wide awake Canadian.

The scariest thing is how complacent people are to give away they're civil liberties in the name of security

Geez people. Way to work yourselves into a froth over nothing.

How on earth do you know the RFID chip ib these optional licences will have any data on it? Oh wait, you don't. You're guessing.

Guess what? It doesn't have your data on it. You can also just not get an RFID licence. RELAX, noble vanguard of civil liberties! LOL ...

The Ontario driver's licence today doesn't have an RFID chip in it. A new one is being planned that will have RFID. It will be for people who want to use it to cross the border. They'll still issue the old one without RFID.

just to let all interested people know the new licences in ontario do have all and i mean all of you information on them.I have traveled to the U.S for many years almost 20 now and had no problems.Well that all came to an end this weekend as i now have a new drivers licence and a charge from 18 years ago has now showed up on my new licence.I was denied entry and not treated well at all at the border.It was a misdemener charge that was dealt with at the time and i had no idea that it was on my record until now.They are now telling me that i have to apply for a waiver to enter the U.S and pay them 545 dollars to file it and even then i am not guaranteed to be allowed in.This is something that everyone should be aware of and no one knows this so dont be surprised if you have something that happened 20 years ago show up.

The bigger question is why is a driver's license the only form of id accepted? Us non-driver's are discriminated against since we do not have licenses and therefore are turned down for credit cards, denied access to venues, etc. Apparently I have to drive in order to watch tv (i.e. buy a receiver) How stupid is that?

Hey Nobody, you're the one who puts up with it. You want to change that, do something about it. Sure it's unfair, but businesses are just taking the easy way out. If you show up with, for example, a birth certificate what can they say?