@QueenOfTheCroneAge @skua @QasimRashid I am far from an expert, I had just looked into it at one point because of a younger family member. Current scope of who must register: https://www.sss.gov/register/who-needs-to-register/ My understanding is that it is a federal law to register and the site below claims that failure to do so is technically a felony, but the DoJ has suspended investigations and prosecutions around potential cases since 1986 https://hasbrouck.org/draft/advice/threatening-letters.html. There are some other implications still relevant, such as for people who want a federal job.

From something I read previously, it sounds like a large number of people in scope either never register at all or they do but then never update their address after moving. I suspect they want to automate it at least in part to stop people from avoiding it. (There are, of course, lawmakers claiming it will ‘save money’ and ‘be easier’.) As for immigrants in scope, given the current administration’s bullshit, I’d assume DHS would be thrilled to use registration avoidance as another excuse to deport people.

As for the legal mechanism for the automation, it was an item in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act bill signed into law last year. It looks like it was in a 2024 bill as well, but I guess it got removed from that one.