New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced an initiative to combat the use of false identification, a small but important step toward reducing the number of those who risk safety in using fake IDs.

In a press release on Aug. 26, Cuomo stressed that young people who possess false identification, aside from partaking in illegal activity, expose themselves to other sources of harm.

In particular, obtaining false identification puts students at risk for having their personal information stolen. Cuomo’s statewide efforts to crack down on fake IDs could lessen the number of students getting them, and therefore limit students’ vulnerability to identity theft.

Though the policy cannot completely stop people from obtaining fake IDs, Cuomo’s initiative poses as a progressive example of state efforts to address a serious problem that directly impacts people’s privacy.

“Whenever anyone is communicating with criminals or submitting any type of personal information such as email, phone, address, photos, card data etc., they are putting their data at risk. There is no honor among thieves,” said Robert Siciliano, an identity theft expert with BestIDTheftCompanys.com, in an email to The Daily Orange.

In a separate release, Cuomo also outlined plans to educate bar owners about new security features on revamped, state-issued ID cards in hopes that education about these features will prevent the sale of alcohol to those who are underage.

With football season approaching, the Carrier Dome staff must keep Cuomo’s warning to licensed vendors of alcohol in mind to ensure the use of false identification to obtain alcoholic beverages is not being committed at university establishments.

Cuomo’s initiative not only enforces the law, but also has the potential to benefit the protection of students’ personal information in the long run.

Published on September 2, 2015 at 1:47 am

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com