id cards
So, the long trek to id cards in the UK has started (again :-)).
Most people I know seem to be against ID cards. I’m not so sure. First thoughts are great - a single ID that will be accepted and trusted across all the places I am likely to need id. Why have a driving licence (which I’ve lost…again), a NI card, an NHS card, a passport (EU wide anyway) when I could just have one magic piece of plastic? Sounds brilliant.
Until I loose the card of course (which I will, I would loose my leg if it didn’t have a habit of following me closely). “Ah no” they say, “It’ll have your biometrics on it”. Ok. Sounds good. Assuming the IT systems behind this work and are reliable and secure.
This is the point I get nervous. Sure a single card that proves beyond doubt who I am would potentially be good. Until somehow someone elses record gets associated with *my* biometrics. I know they will claim that this can’t happen. I remain unconvinced. Big IT systems never work first time. Or second time.
I don’t think making it compulsary to have with me at all times is going to work though - I’ll forget. Something along the lines of your driving license maybe - get 14 days to produce it or something. I do however think that if we are going to end up with ID cards then they have to be compulsary which in turn means there is no way that they can cost me money. Sure, the cash will have to come from somewhere but not by obviously charging for the card.
Also, I’m really not happy about the way the Government is selling this. “ID cards are needed to help prevent terrorism”. Eh? hows that work then? Wasn’t the bloke found making ricin in london a UK citizen? I guess he will have “WARNING: Terrorist” on his card. Maybe it’ll be a question on the application form “Have you ever been or do you ever plan to be a terrorist?”. Yep - that’ll put them off. I mean, the Spanish ID cards helped no end in Madrid. Errr…..ah…
It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. I’m sure we will have ID cards sometime soon. I just need convincing that they will work.
May 27th, 2005 at 9:17 am
The independent is reporting that the US wants us to have compatible chips, so that officials there will have access to all the data that is on them, they are copmparing this in teh US to the betamax v. VHS thing. Whilst I might be presuaded that an ID card is a good thing for use by people living in this country I am entirely less sure that i want that information to eb accessible all over the world. However the good thing is that at least we get to debate it here, in the US theya re being brought in by stealth.
sent from my Office at Home - if you take my meaning.
May 27th, 2005 at 7:38 pm
eeek. Thats a scary thought. No, I would definately not want the US to have access to the data. I have big problems with their view on data protection…