Photocopying A US Govt. ID Is Illegal

 

Have you ever let a business make a copy of your ID? If the ID they copied was a Military ID (including Dependent and Retiree ID), DOD Civilian CAC, or similar Federal government employee ID, they may have violated Federal law (and you may have violated the law by permitting someone to copy your ID).

Photocopying any U.S. government identification is a violation of Title 18, US Code Part I, Chapter 33, Section 701.

The law reads, "Whoever manufactures, sells, or possesses any badge, identification card or other insignia of the design prescribed by the head of any department or agency of the United States for use by any officer or employee thereof, or any colorable imitation thereof, or photographs, prints, or in any other manner makes or executes any engraving, photograph, print, or impression in the likeness of any such badge, identification card, or other insignia, or any colorable imitation thereof, except as authorized under regulations made pursuant to law, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both."

According to the DOD: This law does NOT apply to medical establishments like hospitals and doctor’s offices who are allowed to make a copy for filing insurance claims. It also doesn’t apply to other government agencies that are using the copied ID to perform official government business. However, any commercial establishment is prohibited by law from making a copy of your Military ID.

What about letting a business make a copy of some other form of ID, such as your state driver's license? This wouldn't seem to violate the above Federal law, but you should probably ask why the business needs to keep a copy of your ID, and what steps they take to keep that information from being lost or stolen. Data breaches happen all the time, and photocopies of your ID are probably not being stored in a secure database. According to an article in Consumer Reports - Providing your driver's license could put you at risk of identity theft - allowing a business to make a copy of your ID is "a terrible, terrible practice... it’s easily a contributor to identity theft, and it’s unnecessary."