The Lessons Of 9/11

The 9/11 Commission Report contains important conclusions that are likely to have a big impact on the future of technologies, such as biometrics and smart cards, which help verify an individual's identity. The report contains important specific recommendations, including one urging use of biometrics to identify all those seeking to enter the US - including US citizens.

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At the Smart Card Alliance conference last fall in San Francisco, keynote speaker Richard Clarke was dismayed when only a handful of attendees raised their hands after he asked the audience how many of them had read the recently released report of the 9/11 Commission.

That commission was created by the U.S. government to assess the lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and to recommend ways to prevent such attacks in the future. Clarke, the national counterterrorism coordinator under U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, told us that the report was essential reading for anyone concerned with security.

Having worked my way through the 428-page report I see Clarke's point. The report contains important conclusions that are likely to have a big impact on the future of technologies, such as biometrics and smart cards, which help verify an individual's identity.

For starters, the commission of 10 prominent Americans from both major parties argues that the United States and other advanced countries face an ongoing threat from Islamic terrorists.

They make clear that they do not believe there is any connection between Islam and violence, and assert that most of the world's Muslims reject terrorism. But they argue that a brand of Islamic fundamentalism that justifies terrorist attacks has become a pole of attraction for dissatisfied young Muslims. They strongly urge the U.S. government to focus on that threat, and they make clear that there is much to be done.

The forcefulness of the language in a nonpartisan report suggests there is broad agreement in influential circles that 9/11 was not just an isolated event that can be consigned to history. Action must be taken. The resolve of the report is in line with the U.S. government's recent strong steps toward a common ID card for those with access to government facilities and toward broader use of biometrics at U.S. borders.

The report contains important specific recommendations, including one urging use of biometrics to identify all those seeking to enter the United States-including U.S. citizens. The Commission also calls for a program to speed travel for those who have undergone background checks. The report further urges the United States to work closely with other countries on better identifying travelers.

There is much more. The bottom line is that the report, and the political consensus it reflects, is likely to lead to more new security measures from Washington, with global implications for personal identification technologies.