By Andy McCue, 17 June 2005 16:25
NEWS The government is facing a growing cross-party revolt over the Identity Cards Bill, which is due to face its second reading and vote in parliament on 28 June.
The warning comes from backbench Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews (Medway) who is backing silicon.com's ID Cards on Trial campaign to challenge the government over the unrealistic costs, unproven technology and creeping scope of the ID card plans.
Marshall-Andrews, who voted against the bill last time around before the election, said there is growing concern among MPs about how much the ID card scheme will actually cost.
Marshall-Andrews told silicon.com he is against the proposals on the grounds of cost, privacy and security concerns and said the biometric failure rates of up to 40 per cent will have "obvious consequences".
"It will provide a valuable tool for terrorists in that forged cards will be deemed to be positive proof of identity. The only effect that it will have on organised crime is to increase it by providing a new and extremely lucrative crime in the forging and sale of ID cards.
"It is not correct to say that other countries have this form of ID card. None do and the idea has been repeatedly rejected in America for many of the aforementioned reasons," he said.
Labour MPs Clare Short (Birmingham Ladywood) and John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) have also given their backing this week to silicon.com's campaign.
The growing public and political opposition to the ID cards bill has led to Home Secretary Charles Clarke slamming a "media campaign of scare stories" by ID card critics and dismissing estimates of £300 per card by the London School of Economics as "simply mad".
Comments
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1. anonymous
I wish these Neo-Conservatives and their fear politics lackeys would stop all this horrendeously expensive big brother BS so that we can deal with the real problems like globalisation killing local business (e.g. via outsourcing, grossly wasteful food imports, hidden non-tax paying illegal immigrant workers), so that we have enough well paid people to pay for essential and social services.
2. anonymous
It is incorrect to state that no other country has the ID-Cards! Switzerlad has an extended Pass-port/ID-card. A Swiss person pays the expence of that card and it is a easy to faulge as a bank card is!! it has the chip and so on!
3. Roger Huffadine
Write to your MP - Write to your MP - even if they happen to be 150% Blairite. There are good reasons for writing - It keeps their clerical staff in a job writing back to you. The Chinese developed the "dripping water" technique because it works and Politicians are as susceptible as anyone to "dripping water". 1 e-mail=equals 1 drip. [trying to suppress the urge to add "to a drip" and failing]
4. Lionel A Smith
Anonymous Developer; Amen to that.
However what we all should keep in mind is the fact that 'private data security' whether personal, medical or financial is anathema to the 'military-industrial-commercial' complex and the politicians who act as lackeys to it.
Many when they vote think that they are electing persons to represent them. In reality that is not the case at all. The various financial interests are those whom they really serve.
5. anonymous
I am fed up with the debate on ID cards , ID cards were used during the ww2 as well as ration cards ....one of the biggest issues today and complicated is proving who you are how old you are where you live etc...I had a phot ID for work and it was the most useful card in my wallet.....With current and recent technology we put microchips into pets for about £20 why cant we do the same for ourselfs.
Have a system which combines a microchip implanted on the person with a smartcard ID card and duplicate information on the microchip and smartcard to validate the individual , then lots of other info such as driving licence/medical records etc etc etc. can be kept on the smart card..acces to which can be authorised by the microchip implant and a pin number from the individuel...you could even require the pin to be changed regularly....This is technology that is avaliable now....there will always be a risk of fraud in any system but a combination of intergrated systems makes fraud very unlikly....FINALLY THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SAVED across a range of goverment and private companies by having all this personal information about you on a smartcard is massive and could easaly fund the card to individuels....comments????
6. anonymous
I wish more Labour MPs had the sense and courage to stand up against the ID scheme. Marshall-Andrews point re lucrative market in forged ID cards is spot on.
As for Charles Clark complaining “They are running a media campaign with scare stories of this type which is very difficult for us to deal with":
He is the one going on about the terrorist threats and need to protect against so called ID theft.
If these are not scare stories, what are?
The public are the ones having difficulties dealing with the government’s scare stories. Firstly we had Blair and his Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and now we have the Home Secretary going on about the terrorist threat.
7. Nigel Holder
It has become very clear in recent years that the public sector projects that fail (CRB, Child Support, Housing Benefit - Did you know that over 50% of Housing Benefit is incorrectly assessed!), fail because a proportion of the agents (by agent I mean anyone who must interact with the system) have an interest in deceiving the system. An ID card system will only work successfully for those of us who are law abiding; the terrorist and the social security fraudster will evade compliance by one means or another. Lastly, proving that the data on the card matches your own biometric data is worthless. The only match that can have any value is a match between the data held on a National I.D database and your own biometric data - so why bother with a card at all?
8. Mike Ruhl
Of even greater concern would be the necessity of implanting such an identifying device on one's person. For any form of "card" could, and would, be lost, stolen, or sold. This will be inevitable over time.
9. David Gould
This is why everyone should be terrified of ID Cards:
We will be Numbered purely for the purpose of indexing the 20+ government databases that hold sensitive information on us (medical records, tax records etc) into one giant virtual database.
Furthermore, the Government have refused to legislate against corporations include our number into eg our ISP & Phone records.
The Card itself is a relatively minor concern.
10. Mike Ruhl
Just the mere mention of implanting ID information on one's body would bring a 2nd American Revolution in the States, Andy. As you might be already aware, many Americans are Fundamentalist Christians and would reject outright any form of ID planted onto their persons.
11. Dani
Hitler and Stalin were both pro-ID Card, and would have loved this biometric technology. Funnily enough Hitler, Stalin and Blair's first laws were to ban gun ownership-another sign of an oppressive government. This is about controling us, not preventing terrorism, since the CIA and MI6 created, armed, trained and have controled Al Qaeda and the Mujahadeen since 1979. Remember, when a farmer(government) brands a cow(populace), it isnt for the good of the cow, its so the farmer can keep track of it.
12. Richard Davies
I think its Charles Clark thats 'mad' if he doesn't take on aboard what the experts are trying to tell him...Whats he an expert in exactly!?!
13. anonymous
Up to 10 years in jail and unlimited fines.
The government will have powers to enter your home, arrest you and force you to submit your biometric data.
This is a fascist government that will accept no constraint on its hold over us.
see
http://www.privacyinternational.org/
14. Lionel A Smith
It is more than likely that his 'fascist' government is one having its strings pulled from Washington.
Have a look at the book 'Rouge State' by William Blum and any of the slew of recent books on the Bush Administration. Never mind Michael Moore there are many others by, e.g. Amy Goodman, Jack Huberman. Molly Ivins & Lou Dubose, 'Bushwhacked Life in George W Bush's America' is worth a visit.
But don't let the SS (Security Services) know that you are reading them unless you wan't to spend your summer at a sunshine camp in Cuba.