By Jo Best, 22 April 2004 16:45
NEWS Brits are not just overwhelmingly in favour of ID cards; they want them biometric, they want to carry them at all times and, most importantly, they don't want to pay a thing to get them, according to a survey of UK citizens published today.
A Mori poll commissioned by IT consultancy Detica has, like silicon.com's own reader survey into ID cards, revealed that public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of adopting them. Eighty per cent of those quizzed said they'd be happy to have an identity card and a similar tsunami of 73 per cent said they had little or no fear of their civil liberties being damaged.
However, it's self-interest not government propaganda that may be convincing Joe Public he needs an ID card in his wallet. Very few of the 1,000 people surveyed and found to be in favour of cards – just 16 per cent – were persuaded that the cards would be a way of preventing terrorism.
More were convinced that the cards would be used to prevent illegal immigration, at about 33 per cent, with other favourite uses being making finding criminals easier and making proving your identity to get a credit card.
An outcry from civil liberties groups after Home Secretary David Blunkett announced a biometric ID card bill will be introduced next month seems to have been largely ignored by the biometric-loving man on the street, with 42 per cent happy with iris scanning and a further 35 per cent more than content to have even DNA on their card.
But no one could say the Brits aren't a contrary lot. Despite the kid-on-Christmas-Day level of enthusiasm for the cards and the conviction that their civil liberties were impenetrable, the majority of the UK viewed the likelihood of the government making the scheme a success and still keeping their personal data secure as scarcely credible.
About six in ten said they had little or no confidence that the introduction of such a scheme would be smooth, while only five per cent said they thought it would go well. Similarly, the issue of data security drew heavy scepticism. Only one in ten were confident Whitehall could be trusted to safeguard their data.
And it's on just such issues that the project will succeed or fail, according to David Porter, head of security and risk at Detica.
"ID cards will stand or fall on the registration process that underpins the scheme. You can have the best, most expensive biometrics in the world, but if your registration process is sloppy, you will end up with an extremely expensive, useless failure," he said.
But while those surveyed don't seem to be kept awake at night by the threat of insecure data, the possibility of actually paying for the cards is a far more worrying prospect for the Great British public.
Around half said they wouldn't consider paying anything towards the cost of the card and only one in five were willing to shell out £25 for the privilege; Blunkett may have a harder time getting the required payment out of British wallets than actually getting ID cards into them.
Comments
There are 15 comments. Join the discussion
1. Jim Walters
What about the cost of the biometrics scanners at each point of entry, post office service window, bank service window, police station etc. where the money for that comming from?
2. Russell Bassett
If this is a government led project then we will be paying anyway. However if this is contracted out to the public sector will we have a choice as to wether personal data stored on the database will be used for other purposes.
3. Julian Nicholls
If they (the government) want (to compel) us (the people) to carry ID cards, then it is their responsibility to provide them to us at no charge.
4. anonymous
The number of citizens prepared to accept the introduction of ID cards just goes to show how short-sighted the UK population is. Long will they rue the day ....
5. anonymous
It would be interesting to compare whether citizens in other countries who enforce ID cards have to pay for them - also what their passport charges are!
6. Andy Robb
Biometrics and "true" identity are separate issues. A central registration biometric authority could hold a guaranteed unique secret identity number for everyone. Making this identity secret could avoid a violation of human rights.
The individual may buy as many unique public identity numbers as they like (at £5 a pop, say), they will all verify against the same biometrics and be tied to the same secret identity number. This maintains our right to call ourselves by aliases and for adults to lie about our age and gender, if we choose. This right could be withdrawn from convicted offenders.
A single ID card? it's irrelevent! and possibly in violation of human rights. The police etc could be issued with their own biometric identity numbers for suspects and child workers, allowing them to be tracked between forces. This number could be withdrawn by court order.
It could be useful to buy biometric cards for particular purposes, for proof of adulthood or benefits (UB40) say. But it should be down to the issuing company/authority to check their own details - only uniqueness can be guaranteed.
7. Jim Price
We shall all pay for ID cards somehow - a direct payment is evidently unpalateable to most people, so Blunkett will probably just take it out of our taxes instead!
8. Andrew Beaumont
We'll pay for them alright - it's just a matter of if this payment will be direct or indirect.
If it happens at all, it will probably have to be paid for out of general taxation.
9. Richard
No matter how much the government re-assures you, data will escape and having escaped once cannot be put back in the bottle.
But a greater danger will be the de factor practice of businesses to seek (and be given) citizens ID numbers. Then the linkages will begin.
A recent TV program on the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide described how the production of citizens' ID card showing the wrong ethnic heritage resulted in a fatal machete blow.
10. anonymous
If somewhere has become so bad that you have to carry an id card - it is time to leave the country...
11. JerryK
So, "the public" aren't prepared to pay for the cards. How do they think they'll be funded then? By Santa Claus? We'll pay for them whether we pay for them or not. However, I will allow that, if "we don't pay for them" then the legitimate tax payer will foot the bill (me); whereas, if "we do pay for them", everyone will pay a bit. Everyone in this case including those who creatively avoid tax.
12. anonymous
The "Government" in the form of the Inland Revenue and Department of Work and Pensions has "lost" my details and cannot process my claim for a Pension Credit. How can I have any confidence in their ability to get an ID Card system working?
It appears that the more the "Government" tries to integrate information the more problems they have!
13. CITIZEN PRIVACY
There is NO WAY I can be compelled to buy a piece of plastic to live in my own country!!!!
14. steve watkins
I am convinced that the surveys that have been done on this matter have had a very weighted question put like 'are you in favour of id cards provided that they reduce fraud and contain terrorism'. most people if asked a question like that would say yesy without thinking of how this answer will be abused.
the real reason behind this pernicious and evil piece of legsialtion is CONTROL. the government is not interested in reducing fraud (how much fraud has it committed with the manipualtion of national insurance?), still less is it interested in reducing terrorism (how many concession have been given the IRA? has anybody counted?) it wants to CONTROL people. get it into your heads uk citizens; this is about CONTROL of YOU.
15. Bob Hail
It is quite likely that most members of the public do not realise what having and losing an identity card implies. If your ID carries Photo as well as Biometric information and for a fraudulent transaction just your Photo ID is verified. Then surely your record is comprimised for all future Biometric transactions. John Nammer and Bob Hail have done some work on this in the US.