Kelly no fan of national IDs

Congress is considering giving the Homeland Security Department secretary authority to loosen privacy regulations with an eye to creating a national identification card, a move the DHS privacy chief opposes.

"I'm not a fan," Nuala O'Connor Kelly said of the national ID card.

The move would create new possible misuses of "breeder documents" ? birth certificates and drivers' licenses issued by state and local agencies and used to apply for U.S. passports, Kelly said.

Proposals for secure national ID card systems have gained supporters, but civil libertarians said any security gains would be overshadowed by the risks.