National Identity Cards

[MoonRiver]

Today the Home Office Passport & Identity Service released a press release concerning Identity Cards.

"National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan Published
Thursday 6th March 2008

The delivery of the national identity scheme gathered momentum today as plans were laid out by the Home Secretary beginning with the introduction of identity cards for foreign nationals in 2008 and British citizens in 2009............"


www.ips.gov.uk/passport/press-2008-03-06.asp

Is this a good idea in your opinion??

[bobdezon]

Fuck that

[MoonRiver]

bobdezon said:

f*ck that

I take that as a 'No' then bob!

[hellyp]

I'm not sure what my opinion is yet. I'll have a little think and maybe come back later. *wanders out*

[mookster]

they can most probably be faked like everything else.

[ogre]

identity cards - briliant idea. I believe they should be introduced and that no law abiding person in a democratic society should worry about it.


BUT BUT BUT B UT BUT

Every single Civil service (forget politicians they are irrelevant) EVERY Civil Service Computerised programme that they have tried to introduce over the last 15 years is f*cked up and not fit for purpose.

It's been reported in the industry press for years the stupidity and incompetence displayed whenever the CS tries to bring in an IT system. There are faults all round, but until the Civil Service is revamped, made accountable and at least brought up to a minimum level of competence the b*ggers should not be let anywhere near another computer.

[exile]

I was all for it under the opinion that none of us are really that interesting enough to feel that paranoid to think people have a great interest in what we do, unless there is a reason for that paranoia. But have reservations since they f*cked up with the loss of the disc with the child benefit details on it. That has really been glossed over like it doesn't really matter. Which makes me wonder whether any confidential information is ever all that confidential.

[bobdezon]

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Benjamin Franklin

Amen bro

[ogre]

Why is America held up to be such a wonderful example of Democracy?

Gun Crime, Drugs, an economy down the toilet (over 3 TRILLION in debt) Hollywood .

[ogre]

And when it comes to quotes I think people should remember Thomas Jefferson more:-

"the tree of liberty must be occasionally watered by the blood of matyrs and tyrants. It is it's natural manure".

You want to keep something, you must be prepared to sacrifice for it.

[hotchic]

I prefer it to the DNA database

[kensington]

I am very strongly in favour of ID cards. I have nothing to hide. Most info on me is already out there any way. I have a passport, I have email, I have internet profiles, I have a donor card, credit cards etc. An ID card won't make that much difference at all. In many European countries ID cards or identity papers are taken for granted and par of the course. I've never fully understood the opposition people have to them. I think many people are making a mountain out of a mole hill on the issue.

Yes ID cards can be abused but so can passports, credit cards etc. There will always be people that will occasionally be skillfull enough to beat the system but many potentian fraudsters can not. As far as I am concerned it is one step to making us that extra bit safer. Am I giving up a liberty to get them? No, as I feel I am gaining many more.

However if they are to be introduced the financial cost of supplying them will have to be taken into consideration and once they are issued it must be ensured that they serve the purpose they are supposed to serve. How much faith I have in the effectivness of carrying out British government policies and making them work I am not sure of.

But yes in theory I definitely support them. About bloody time. That's my little take and rant William

[bobdezon]

I have no problem with forms of ID, and for me its not an issue of hiding anything, however making it an offence to not produce one gets on my tit. I abhor the idea of biometric data. Currently British passports contain biomentric data but it is just a photograph. When they start adding DNA information it all goes a bit "Gattaca". I want to retain the basic human right to tell anyone who asks for my ID to fuck off. To make it a jailable offence is ridiculous. The scheme will cost £840m and according to Home Office figures published yesterday the total cost of the project will be £5.75bn. This form of information like any other can be replicated and abused making its inception utterly pointless.

[exile]

We all get a National Insurance Number and we get issued a card with that number on. I can't see why some new system can't use that.

[hotchic]

exile said:

We all get a National Insurance Number and we get issued a card with that number on. I can't see why some new system can't use that.

Bloody good point Exile.

[hellyp]

Not expensive enough.

[exile]

Thank you Hotchic.

[kensington]

As I say I fully support the cards in theory. My only concerns are not about human rights but the cost and effectiveness of them. No point in having something if it's not going to be effective or serve the purpose it is being brought out for. I hope it would be more than just a gimmick. Anyone remember a couple of years back Tony Blair had that initiative where people could email him with their views and he would respond. It was called something like 'talk to the prime minister'. Just a gimmick

[MoonRiver]

There are already vast amounts of information held on us individually, I think it would be easier to 'load' it all onto one primary card. I dont have a problem with it per se, but the cost bob mentioned is phenomonal. I have to think a bit more.

[kensington]

I think that would be a great idea to have it all on one card though if your card went missing with every single bit of info on you on that one card I'd be pretty concerned. But yes I like the idea if it could be full proof and some how all data on that card could be erased if lost.