By Gemma Simpson, 9 March 2007 16:30
NEWS
The man in charge of the government's national ID cards scheme quashed claims earlier this week that the cards will lead to a Big Brother state with each citizen's movements and transactions monitored.
James Hall, Identity and Passport Service (IPS) CEO, said in an online webchat on the Downing Street website that most uses of the ID card will probably not involve accessing the National Identity Register (NIR) and would therefore not create an audit trail.
This sparked a furore of responses from silicon.com readers, with many pointing out an ID card system without the ability to back-check against the NIR would be a "disaster waiting to happen".
One reader said if ID cards are being pushed as the solution to combat terrorism and crime then he does not understand how the government will do this if there isn't a paper trail recording an individual's activities.
Another reader pointed out the need to use the NIR with the ID card scheme and said: "If the card isn't verified by back-checking against the NIR then the card is worthless - actually worse than that because it will become trivially easy to forge."
The government ditched its plans of a single mega-database to hold all ID card information last year with three existing systems proposed to hold the NIR data instead.
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Hall also said people will voluntarily enrol for ID cards because it will make their day-to-day life easier when it comes to things like opening a bank account.
But the majority of readers were sceptical. One reader said life will be made difficult if you don't use an ID card - the bank may refuse you an account, you may not be able to register for a doctor and so on.
He added: "So in that sense, people might start 'voluntarily' enrolling to escape the hell of living in a police state."
The IPS is also looking at providing an online mechanism for people to check their entry and data held on the NIR for any inaccuracies but is still assessing whether that can be done securely.
This raised further security fears with readers. As one said: "Get ready for the ID phishing emails."
Comments
There are 11 comments. Join the discussion
1. Yogesh Raja
Biometric ID documents (cards and passports) will work fine for organisations where everyone concerned is on the database and every point of transaction has equipment to read these documents.
Nationally it is virtually impossible to satisfy both these conditions and hence it is obvious that these documents will fail. In reality they will tempt fraudsters to use fakes of these documents as IDs where there is no reading equipment and hence make bad problems worse by boosting identity fraud.
2. Jeremy Wickins
One of the things that has come clear from my research is that social exclusion will increase as a result of these crapulous cards - people will either not be able to, or be unwilling to, use the cards to access basic and other needs. Access to health care, benefits, legal services, even simple stuff like joining a video library are all likely to be affected by the need for an ID card, and the government wants to licence businesses to use biometric readers wherever a "need" can be shown. The whole system speaks of rolling compulsion - no card, no life.
3. Karen Challinor
it was mentioned that credit cards perform the same kind of tracking as the ID card and we already carry credit cards, however consider the following points
1 - I am sent a copy of the audit trail from a credit card once a month, with an ID card I have to apply for it and only get a small section
2 - I can ask for and get any and all information relating to me from the card company, there is no chance I will get this with an ID card
3 - if I am unhappy with my credit card I can cancel, ID card - no chance
4 - there are laws to protect me from the credit card company abusing my information, with the ID card and NIR any such laws are firmly under the control of those administering the scheme and are biased against me
5 - if my credit card is compromised I can be issued with a new card and PIN, how would I be issued with a new card and fingerprint if my ID is compromised
6 - All I have to worry about at the moment is a mugger after my card, with an ID card it will be a mugger armed with a machete after my card and one of my fingers .. if I'm lucky
and the government expects voluntary enrolment in this scheme, this must be why it's being tied into passport applications then, because they are voluntary aren't they? no one actually needs a passport do they?
4. Simon Moores
It's the old fable of the King's new clothes all over again. Regardless of how many independent experts scream that he's naked and the plan is a complete crock, the King insists he's perfectly dressed for the occasion.
If I thought for one minute, it would work and achieve what it is intended for, then I would support it - but I don't, it won't and we will all pay the price one day!
5. anonymous
Your readers seem to forget that the UK ID Act passed into law last year is aimed at terror and benefit fraud. Terror is a worldwide problem and the US and EU have set in motion biometric ID solutions around fingerprint systems. The US is most advanced and has been successful in its US VISIT program for border entry in which more than 60mm fingerprints are searched when a foreigner enters the US airports. Soon this two fingerprint system will be increased to ten prints, also allowing for palm prints and latents. Cogent Systems Inc, a US company, supplies the algorithmic software and database servers for a system that matches over 99% of prints within seconds. Cogent has also successfully introduced voter ID cards in countries like Venezuela, where their system has been used in many elections with great success, thereby reducing voter fraud. Cogent's fingerprint ID systems are successfully working in Texas to reduce benefit fraud. Fingerprint readers are available for the front end system. The UK ID system envisaged is far less complicated than Venezuela's voting system, where 34 mm voters were registered and matched on voting day! The UK citizen need not worry about the successful implementation and the necessary safeguards exist to limit the big brother state that some readers fear.
steve
london
6. anonymous
What are you a consultant in? Biometrics?
ID card schemes already exist, they didn't stopthe bombing in Spain.
Biometric ones exist, it hasn't reduced the crime rate in Belgium.
They are a white elephant that I don't want to pay for and that will fail. Their only purpose is to line the pockets of those involved in the industry.
7. Karen Challinor
Steve, you "seem to forget that the UK ID Act passed into law last year" without any kind of realistic debate, such debate as there was was severely limited, it was steamrollered through the house in an attempt to get it on the books before the opposition to it was organised and it succeeded, petitioning the lords managed to have it sent back to the commons three times but still no debate took place.
you say it is aimed at "terrorism and benefit fraud" the government say different, opposition to the scheme has demonstrated that terrorism won't be affected so the government says it's for organised crime, that too is demonstrated to be ineffectual so the government changes to a different target eventually landing on benefit fraud
now http://www.stopbenefitfraudni.gov.uk/cost.htm this site puts a figure of £28m on benefit fraud for 2005, I'm prepeared to call it £30 million per year, so the solution is to create a scheme initially costing £FIVE BILLION ! and god knows what running cost which incidentally takes the civil liberties of every one who isn't a senior level politician and throws them out of the window
I don't know who does your accounts but my accountant reckons this isn't all that cost effective
the cure would seem to be more expensive than the affliction
finally you say "The UK citizen need not worry about the successful implementation and the necessary safeguards exist to limit the big brother state that some readers fear" and who has control of them? the government thats who, the same people who tried to pass a bill to allow them to make laws without the bother of passing the bill through parliament, whats to stop them changing the rules ?
8. Richard Peters
Steve: Oversimplified, over-budget, and over here! Nuff said.
9. Simon
To Steve the anonymous consultant from London :
"... the UK ID Act passed into law last year is aimed at terror and benefit fraud."
What complete rubbish ! Yes, that is the publically stated purpose, but it's real purpose goes FAR wider than that. I am certain that should the current shower stay in power long enough to see it happen then they WILL extend it's scope. Future governments of whatever party WILL extend it's scope.
Whenever they want more control/monitoring of the population they WILL extend it's scope as they wish - and I'm sure they've already built in sufficient clauses to allow 'minor extensions' to be done by ministerial decree without the hassle of having to persuade a mojority of the house that it's a good idea.
This is the nature of politics - even for those that go into it with good intentions, they eventually give in to the lure of the power. Look at the recent record of the current lot who went into power on a headline policy of "no more slease" !
Oh yes, and don't forget that one of the not too distant uses of ID cards was to separate out the "wrong sort of people" perpetrated by someone who was ELECTED originally.
Waiting till such abuses happen is too late - by then it's fait acompli. We HAVE to keep such bad measures under control NOW.
"Terror is a worldwide problem and the US and EU have set in motion biometric ID solutions around fingerprint systems. The US is most advanced ... "
Yes, and look at the recent track record of THAT government ! Surely that's a prime example of why we need to not follow suit !
10. Graham Coles
That the US is succeeding in fighting terrorists this way is complete nonsense.
An obvious comment would be the success of the TSA and the no fly lists where 5 year old 'terrorists' have to take their driving licence to their local police station as proof of identity so that they can be allowed to board a plane.
Coupled with many more science-fiction nonsensical ideas which cost the american taxpayer billions it's easy to see how much of this is complete waste.
Security experts have said it before, and I'll re-iterate it.
ID cards won't fight terrorists and they won't stop illegal immigration. I even doubt the governments last stupid comment that they will save big business millions, though why they justify spending 20 billion+ of UK taxpayers money to achieve this is perhaps a question yet to be answered.
At best, ID cards will be a nuisance, at worse they will be a complete waste of money. I wonder what the education/health sector could do with some good management and 20 billion cash?
Identification documents didn't stop terrorists hijacking planes in 911, didn't stop the terrorists in Spain and they won't stop them in the future. Law enforcement and national security forces, however, will have many billions of pounds less funding as it will have been wasted on this nonsense.
11. anonymous
I do not subscribe to the notion that ID cards will reduce terrorism etc and am against the whole proposal - not becuase I have something to hide...
..after all, I can already prove who I am if required via my driving licence, credit cards, passport, utility bills etc.
How many forms of ID do I need?
This is without the mistrust of those in Government who hold the ID databse and all the information heled within.