Four states adopt 'no-smiles' policy for driver's licenses

Four states adopt

www.usatoday.com

Stopping driver's license fraud is no laughing matter: Four states are ordering people to wipe the grins off their faces in their license photos.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 26-5-2009 by sandman441]

This is pretty crazy to me. This is all because a computer sometimes cannot see the differences between two people that smile. If it was me I'd do some updates to the software. When I read this story it reminded me of a communist country. They get rid of the happiness in a society and the government can pretty much do whatever they want to.

www.usatoday.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I have had Drivers Licenses in 4 different States over the years.

In each one I have done the same thing when getting my License Photo taken.

I ask the Officer (three of the States it was a uniformed State Highway Patrol Officer taking the picture) to hold on and give me one moment.

I then ball up my fists, apply one to each of my tightly closed eyes and rub my eyes furiously for about 30 seconds then lower my arms, open my eyes and smile a crooked grin.

On each occasion the Officer has asked, what are you doing?

I explain “Oh it’s real simple, this way when I get stopped at 2:00 AM in the morning and my eyes are blood shot and I have that I have been having too much fun look on my face, the Officer conducting the stop can look at my License, and then look at me and know…well, he always looks like this!”

It usually takes the Officer and everyone within earshot about 5 minutes to stop laughing!

None of them have ever objected.

Oddly enough I have never been asked to take a sobriety test when stopped driving late at night! Go figure!

This is kinda normal guidlines in the UK, but then again we don't get our pictures taken at the DVLA office (our equivalent to the DMV). We instead just go to a photo booth or a copy shop put out 3 or 4 quid on the table and hope the resulting photo passes the guidlines when we send it in... Or else the whole process is delayed while everything is rejected, sent back and then sent back again.

Mind you I just checked mine and I am smiling, showing my teeth some, not a massive daft grin though.

What!?!?

I don't even know what to say! Are we not allowed to smile anymore?

That would be a shame, because that's all I do.

Is this really a way to stop drivers license fraud? seems backwards to me...

This is getting ridiculous.

Florida approved the license of a Muslim woman with her entire face covered! Instead of smiling, just go into the bureau in full Muslim garb. Not only do they have to honor your religion, it is illegal for them to even ask you what religion you are. Therefore, you won't need to lie! If they do ask, politely tell them the question is inappropriate and illegal and move on.

I suppose that will only work for women, unless some religion requires men to cover up as well.

Anyway, smile all you want under the wrap.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
Florida approved the license of a Muslim woman with her entire face covered!

If this is true... this is where the law completely falls flat on it's face through political correctness. Religion should be secondary when it affords an individual exemption from the laws that everyone else must abide by.

If you can't respect the laws and customs of the country you are moving to, then you should reconsider going there unless you wish to draw wedges into that society.


On Topic...

I actually had my drivers license renewed last week. When my picture was taken, the lady actually asked me to smile. She said, "You can smile if you want to".... but I opted for the more serious picture.

I guess things are a little different - and more laid back in Australia!

IRM

[edit on 26/5/09 by InfaRedMan]

Well, I dont smile anyway lol...

I currently just paid 1000.00 bucks to get my license back from the great state of California which took it from me 8 years ago for a bill unpaid that WAS NOT MINE...

I finally cave in and go to get my license in the State I currently reside in...

They tell me. you owe California a 15.00 reinstatement fee

So I call California and they tell me... "We Don't take credit cards"

so I mail the last 15.00 3x now lol

Sacramento keeps never getting it... somehow

Guess... I wont be taking a picture, what's another 8 years with no license, haven't gotten a ticket yet

The DMV is Purgatory...

Originally posted by mopusvindictus
The DMV is Purgatory...

Its a shame all the bull they are putting you through...

However, this statement is the truest I've seen in a while

Incredible, every time I read stupid laws like this it makes me wonder what our nation has become.

I guess this morons states have nothing better to do than pushing control on others.

I always smile in my license as I am told by the officers taking the pictures that I have a very nice one.

[edit on 27-5-2009 by marg6043]

It is kinda like they are saying 'get that smirk off your face human!!, there is nothing to smile about."

Originally posted by free2live
What!?!?

I don't even know what to say! Are we not allowed to smile anymore?

That would be a shame, because that's all I do.

Is this really a way to stop drivers license fraud? seems backwards to me...

This is getting ridiculous.

No; but it is a way to have a good picture of you in the national database that big brother is using to keep tabs on your every move. That way when he hones in on you with that eye in the sky camera or picks you up on the camera at the intersection or the one that will soon be trained into each of your home windows they can be pretty sure that it is you and you are where they allow you to be.

reply to post by sandman441


What a crock of crap! Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada, and Virgnia have finally adopted this assinine policy where you are not allowed to smile more than you should.

Why? Because the facial recognition software is not able to recognize you from your previous license pictures. What does this mean really in layman's terms for you? That they more than likely rushed the software through development in order to get funding without working out all the bugs within the system.

This is like behavior predicting of potential future abuses of this policy, in what I see for this to happen.

Just watch out now, one of the nations most miserable experiences for 99% of the populace will now be that much more miserable, because before you know it, just standing in line and smiling will get you pulled out to be questioned.

[edit on 27-5-2009 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

"Just watch out now, one of the nations most miserable experiences for 99% of the populace will now be that much more miserable, because before you know it, just standing in line and smiling will get you pulled out to be questioned. "

Yes, when we are in soup lines or in tent cities the last thing we would be doing is smiling as we trudge along. Easier to recognize a miserable face when you have a miserable face picture to coincide with it.

Originally posted by InfaRedMan

Originally posted by getreadyalready
Florida approved the license of a Muslim woman with her entire face covered!

If this is true... this is where the law completely falls flat on it's face through political correctness. Religion should be secondary when it affords an individual exemption from the laws that everyone else must abide by.

If you can't respect the laws and customs of the country you are moving to, then you should reconsider going there unless you wish to draw wedges into that society.

 

On Topic...

I actually had my drivers license renewed last week. When my picture was taken, the lady actually asked me to smile. She said, "You can smile if you want to".... but I opted for the more serious picture.

I guess things are a little different - and more laid back in Australia!

IRM

[edit on 26/5/09 by InfaRedMan]

www.clickorlando.com...

www.truthorfiction.com...

Well, the first link above has a photo of the driver's license with the woman's face fully covered. This was on all the local news, but what I did not know was the license was later suspended, and she sued the state. She lost the suit in 2003 and an appeals court later refused to overturn it. The second link has the details of the lawsuits.

So, Florida did come to their senses. As far as smiling, I think that is still ok, lol!!

They are trying to get everyone to have mug shots taken. Messed up.

The reason for not smiling, which is becoming standard for any piece of Federal ID is for one reason, and one reason only.

Facial Recognition software.

Soon, the entire database will be filled with proper, non-smiling pictures.

They then take your photo and map your face, they can then use that map to pick you out of entire crowds as you pass through CCTV monitored areas.

In fact, once the system is entirely automated, they will simply be able to type in your name, and a list will appear of every single time your face was captured on a CCTV camera. In places like Britain, this could mean that they track your every movement through out an entire day, from the moment you step out your door, till the minute you return to that door.

They could literally review your entire day and any discrepancies in stories you provide will be met with your destruction.

Orwell rolled over in his grave, then killed himself in the afterlife when he popped in to check on the world in 2009.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


I love that Idea! Thats wonderful, my DL just expired on my B Day on NOV 8th, so I will be conducting this experiment shortly, All report my finding good Sir! HAHAHA

Much love