SubJeff on 6/3/2008 at 12:40
So this silly idea is arriving this year with compulsory cards for Non-EU nationals to start with. At least we get to control the movements of Americans hey ho. This is a terrible idea and what makes it all the more frustrating is that when interviewed on the news the Home Secretary clearly hasn't put all the pieces together, and the interviewers never ask the pertinent question; which is -
If other forms of ID can be forged what makes you think these "uber-secure" ID cards will not be?
She seemed to think that simply linking biometric info with the card will stop someone smarter than her and the designers from cloning or forging a card with an altered link. Come on. No security systems is completely safe and the problem with these cards is they're being touted as so secure that they will be some sort of fall-back for when existing forms aren't good enough. Plus there will be a massive database that holds all the personal infor and one for the biometric data. It makes no difference - the system will be hacked. Maybe not the databases but the cards most certainly.
I'm so sure I'm willing to bet £1000 English pound sterling cash monies on some mess-up or workaround emerging in the first 2 years of the introduction of the cards.
SD on 6/3/2008 at 12:47
ID cards are an absolute disgrace, and entirely typical of the authoritarian tendencies of this Stalinist government.
We will be leading the (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7088315.stm) campaign of civil disobedience against this scheme, and I would urge all who are concerned with this gross violation of liberties to visit the (
http://www.no2id.net/) NO2ID website and register your support.
BrokenArts on 6/3/2008 at 13:14
Is it tea time again.
Koki on 6/3/2008 at 13:17
Quote Posted by SD
ID cards are an absolute disgrace, and entirely typical of the authoritarian tendencies of this Stalinist government.
Is this dude for real?
SD on 6/3/2008 at 13:32
Quote Posted by Koki
Is this dude for real?
Who, Gordon Brown? Yes, I'm afraid so.
Rogue Keeper on 6/3/2008 at 14:17
Won't they contain biometric data?
SD on 6/3/2008 at 14:42
Quote Posted by AR Master
What's wrong with ID cards? I'm to understand they're basically just some standardized form of ID without any specific purpose like a driver's license or birth certificate that says "I am a citizen of Country X"
First off, it's not just that it's an ID card, it's that it holds biometric data (retina scans, fingerprints etc) about you, and that there'll be a massive all-encompassing database containing your personal information. Even if you've never read 1984, you'll have to agree there are extremely worrying implications here. Especially since this government shows a (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7122401.stm) wanton disregard for keeping such personal details secure. So it's hello to (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7117291.stm) widescale identity theft and goodbye to your privacy.
Second, it's the cost. A scheme like this is going to cost a minimum of £5bn to set up and administer. I happen to think there are much better uses for that kind of money than constructing a grossly invasive citizen monitoring system.
Third, would you really want to be slung in jail for not carrying one?
Ultimately I suppose your opposition to this scheme will depend on whether you think power should be concentrated in the hands of the state or its citizenry.
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." - Thomas Jefferson
ps posting this from a home office terminal; hardcore >[
R Soul on 6/3/2008 at 14:56
Last year my family and I renewed our passports so that we'd have 10 years before having to get the new "improved" (biometric) versions. I won't mention who it was who gave the advice to do this, but it wasn't my own idea. I think a fair number of other people did too (though I don't know the figures), and interestingly, the scheme has been put on hold.
Regarding ID cards, the government have been scoring a few own goals with all of the data that has already been lost over what seems to be many many years. Terrible though that is, it makes it far easier* to argue against allowing the state to keep such records. The moral/ethical argument can be tricky if advocates don't care, but we can at least point out that with ID cards, the government would not be competent enough to keep the data secure.
*for people like me who aren't very good at arguing
jay pettitt on 6/3/2008 at 15:22
ello ello ello, can I zee your zitizen papers pleaze englander :mad:
yeah, no thanks.
Matthew on 6/3/2008 at 16:10
Wasn't it bad enough having to carry my mug shot on my bloody driving licence, now we have to put up with this shit?
Query to authorities: exactly how many people in the wilds of Northern Ireland do you think will slip through the gaps?
