BiometricsIn a law suit, Okla. woman argues biometric driver’s license is “a sign of the Antichrist”
An Oklahoma woman was denied a driver’s license after she refused to allow the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) to collect her biometric information, which is required for the state’s new driver’s licenses. She is now suing DPS, saying that giving the state biometric information would violate her religious beliefs: collecting such information, she argued in her court filing, is “the beginning stages of the [Biblical] mark of the beast,” a sign of the Antichrist which is mentioned in the Bible’s Book of Revelation.
When Kaye Beach needed to renew her driver’s license in the mid-2000, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) told her she needed to give her fingerprints. Beach was not happy with the requirement, but went along with it.
Two years ago, however, when her driver’s license was up for renewal again, DPS officials told her they needed to take a high-resolution photoof her. Beach declined because of her religious beliefs, and is now suing the DPS (and see a recent motion for a summary judgment)..
The Blaze reports that Beach argues that the biometric information – fingerprints and high-resolution photo DPS is collecting — is “the beginning stages of the [Biblical] mark of the beast,” a sign of the Antichrist which is mentioned in the Bible’s Book of Revelation.
“The bottom line for me as a Christian was that I believe that the Bible clearly warns us against being enrolled in a global system of identification and financial control that ties to our bodies,” UPI quotes Beach to say..
Beach currently does not have a driver’s license, and her complaint states that“as a result of the state’s refusal to provide accommodation,” Beach has been “denied the ability” to drive her car, use a debit card, acquire prescriptions, book a hotel, or obtain a P.O. Box.
Attorney David Slane believes that Beach may have a case.
“At first you get the impression that she’s really out there,” Slane told KFOR. “As you take a look at the lawsuit itself, her lawyers have been very crafty in Constitutional claim of her religious objection and I think the courts may take a closer look at it,” Slane added.
A group called the Constitutional Alliance, a non-profit organization, is supporting her legal battle. She is also represented by the Rutherford Institute, a civil rights legal firm that provides representation free-of-charge.
In explaining its support for Beach’s motion, the Rutherford Institute said:
The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of an Oklahoma woman who has been denied accommodation of her sincerely held religious objection to having a high-resolution biometric photograph used on her driver’s license. In filing suit against the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS), Rutherford Institute attorneys contend that the state’s demand for a biometric photograph as a condition of being licensed to drive violates Kaye Beach’s rights under the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act and the provisions of the Oklahoma Constitution forbidding unreasonable searches and seizures.
Beach has been a crusader for personal liberty through her Web site and Twitter account, where she has fought against biometric tracking and facial recognition software. She believes that databases storing biometric identifiers of American citizens will be hacked causing extreme identify theft, forcing citizens to get identifying chips or tattoos to distinguish themselves.
