ID – Behind the Card
The Mule | 14.08.2009 07:25 | Analysis
With the ID card pilot set to hit Manchester this autumn, Dave Page from Manchester NO2ID tells us exactly what we’ll be getting.
The Home Office claims the scheme will help us protect our identities and carry out tasks, such as opening bank accounts, but there’s far more to ID cards than that.
The ID card itself is irrelevant. The scheme is in fact all about the National Identity Register, the database. This will store over 50 categories of information about you – starting with every name you’ve ever been known by, everywhere you’ve ever lived, and fingerprints and facial recognition info. If your record is checked, say to prove your age at a nightclub, your night out will be recorded on a Government database forever. It’s the database which makes the ID scheme different from its European counterparts. No other country seeks to gather, store and share so much information about its citizens – and it would be illegal in Germany!
Your records will be available to civil servants, the police, customs officials and the security services. Private companies too are lining up to get involved, and will also have access to your personal details. If just one of the thousands who will have access to the database is corrupt, your life could end up in the hands of blackmailers or identity thieves.
The Government knows the scheme won’t work. In 2006, it announced that the Register would be a brand new database, since existing sources were too “polluted” with incorrect information. Two years later, they decided to save money and use the existing, ‘polluted’ passport and benefits databases anyway
If you volunteer to pay £60 to register on the database and receive a card, it’s not clear what the benefits are. By 2012 the Government will require you to register on the National Identity Register to receive a passport. They can require registration for any document or service, from driving licenses to CRB checks for teachers. They say it’s voluntary, but it will be impossible to live your life normally without the database and all it entails.
Manchester NO2ID have been active for over three years – on the streets, in the media, at demonstrations, working with local government and trades unions. We are a non-partisan organisation and do not campaign on any issue other than ID cards and the Database State. Please join us.
The ID card itself is irrelevant. The scheme is in fact all about the National Identity Register, the database. This will store over 50 categories of information about you – starting with every name you’ve ever been known by, everywhere you’ve ever lived, and fingerprints and facial recognition info. If your record is checked, say to prove your age at a nightclub, your night out will be recorded on a Government database forever. It’s the database which makes the ID scheme different from its European counterparts. No other country seeks to gather, store and share so much information about its citizens – and it would be illegal in Germany!
Your records will be available to civil servants, the police, customs officials and the security services. Private companies too are lining up to get involved, and will also have access to your personal details. If just one of the thousands who will have access to the database is corrupt, your life could end up in the hands of blackmailers or identity thieves.
The Government knows the scheme won’t work. In 2006, it announced that the Register would be a brand new database, since existing sources were too “polluted” with incorrect information. Two years later, they decided to save money and use the existing, ‘polluted’ passport and benefits databases anyway
If you volunteer to pay £60 to register on the database and receive a card, it’s not clear what the benefits are. By 2012 the Government will require you to register on the National Identity Register to receive a passport. They can require registration for any document or service, from driving licenses to CRB checks for teachers. They say it’s voluntary, but it will be impossible to live your life normally without the database and all it entails.
Manchester NO2ID have been active for over three years – on the streets, in the media, at demonstrations, working with local government and trades unions. We are a non-partisan organisation and do not campaign on any issue other than ID cards and the Database State. Please join us.
The Mule
e-mail:
editor@themule.info
Homepage:
http://www.themule.info
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
No ID cards required
14.08.2009 13:09
Within 10 years every Brit that wants to leave the country will be on the system.
I’m not so sure about them routinely storing every interaction with the system (ie the nightclub example), it would put too much of a strain on the system and collect too much useless data.
The way I think it will pan out is, the database will be started and government departments will use it to check identity ie lost your passport, well just put your finger here. This will roll out to hospitals etc. You won’t *need* but it will be a pain not to have one.
Then to recoup the cost they will licence the service to 3rd parties, Banks etc etc anyone who needs to check an identity. They will get around it as you will have *volunteered* to use it and they will only provide a basic subset of data ie yes this is Mr Smith aged 30 he lives at …
Of course there is nothing to stop them cross referencing this – a quick credit check perhaps?
I guess they will also have the ability to flag a small sub set of identities so that an alarm is raised when they interact with the system, either to allow the police to pick wanted people up or to track their movements for surveillance.
Within 10 years there will be two classes of citizens - *reasonable* ones who are on the database and the awkward ones/criminals with something to hide/ illegal aliens who are not on the system.
Job Done
IT BOY
anyone think of ways to deliberately pollute the database?
16.08.2009 17:58
Either getting false information about yourself on there, or causing trouble for scumbags by getting damaging information about themselves on there.
anon