Wednesday, July 01, 2009
The slow demise of ID cards
The Home Secretary has hit all the headlines today with his assertion that ID cards will not be compulsory and that plans to introduce compulsory identity cards for airline pilots and 30,000 other "critical workers" at Manchester and London City airports this autumn have been abandoned.
However, good news as this is, we should not celebrate too soon nor should we assume that the project is dead and buried. The Government is to press ahead with the National Identity Card Database and British citizens who apply for or renew their passport will be automatically registered on it. This means that the main elements of the scheme will continue to be put in place leaving a future government the prospect of picking it up and running with compulsory cards in the future.
The database itself of course is a concern. How secure is it? Will it be used to interact with other databases to build up profiles of people for political or other non-crime related issues? The Government may have backed down on the most high-profile part of this scheme but the elements that are left continue to contribute to the erosion of our rights and civil liberties in this country.
However, good news as this is, we should not celebrate too soon nor should we assume that the project is dead and buried. The Government is to press ahead with the National Identity Card Database and British citizens who apply for or renew their passport will be automatically registered on it. This means that the main elements of the scheme will continue to be put in place leaving a future government the prospect of picking it up and running with compulsory cards in the future.
The database itself of course is a concern. How secure is it? Will it be used to interact with other databases to build up profiles of people for political or other non-crime related issues? The Government may have backed down on the most high-profile part of this scheme but the elements that are left continue to contribute to the erosion of our rights and civil liberties in this country.
Labels: ID
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The National Identity Register will continue in operation. It is likely that the present government will require not only passport but driving licence applicants o have their data on this register. The Home Secretary has almost unlimited powers to use the data thus recorded. Spooks and the cops will be able to look at it without telling you they have done so. You will be fined if you do not keep your data current, and for various other offenses. ID cards may be dead, but the Register is still alive, and we must make sure the next government kills it off.
Well spotted Peter, the "cards" may be dead-ish, but the database is alive and well and contains inaccuracies.
Simon, good comments, but it won't be killed off, knowledge is Power!
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Simon, good comments, but it won't be killed off, knowledge is Power!
# posted by 
: 5:57 PM
: 5:57 PM<< Home
