America’s Future:

If left as is, the rule sets the stage for the federal government to create a national database filled with the private data of Americans, enabling our government to restrict the movement of citizens, regulate and monitor everyday purchases, and even set about implementing a social credit system not unlike the system imposed in Communist China – a system capable of evaluating how their citizens live their lives, judging the degree to which they accept subjugation, and then granting or withholding rights or privileges based solely on their loyalty to the regime.

In essence, the rule regulates the federal government’s collection, retention, and use of American citizens’ personally identifiable information from the date of their first interaction forward.

For background, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the 9/11 Commission, formed by Congress, examined the attacks and our failure to prevent them.  In July 2004, the Commission delivered its report, concluding, in part, that automated information systems used by federal agencies to collect, analyze, and disseminate information in real-time were “woefully inadequate” to address ongoing threats and that the federal government “should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses.”