By Tom Espiner, 7 July 2008 08:31
NEWS
Representatives of the aviation industry have said they are being used as political pawns to further the government's controversial ID cards programme.
The British Air Transport Association (Bata) said aviation workers were being used as guinea pigs for the scheme. ID cards for 'airside' workers - those who work beyond airport security checks - will become compulsory in 2009.
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Z is for Zero-day
Roger Wiltshire, secretary general of Bata told silicon.com sister site ZDNet.co.uk: "We do feel we're being used politically. The government intends a creeping introduction, to [lend the cards credibility]. We will be the first industry to have compulsory ID passes, even before the voluntary scheme is in place."
Wiltshire's comments follow a Bata letter of protest sent to the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, this week, signed by the chief executives of British Airways, BMI, EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic.
The letter lambasted the government over ID card security issues, saying that "first and foremost, no additional security benefits have been identified". Wiltshire said Bata did not feel the scheme would enhance security at all. "The current process for vetting staff is incredibly rigorous, and includes a criminal-records check. ID cards will not add value."
However, James Hall, chief executive of the Identity and Passport Service, maintained that the cards would enhance airport security. "We think ID cards can be a sensible enhancement of pre-employment checking," Hall told ZDNet.co.uk. "We understand that the industry has concerns."
Shadow security minister Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones criticised the government for its "creeping" introduction of ID cards. "I would not approve of any creeping means of introducing a national ID card by the back door," she said.
Campaigners against ID cards told ZDNet.co.uk that the idea the cards would enhance security was "crazy".
Phil Booth, national co-ordinator of No2ID, said: "The vetting of people with secure airside access will go way beyond the ID card checks. One assumes people would be checked on police databases. To try to say ID cards would be more secure is crazy. If the government hasn't been able to convince the air industry that ID cards will bring security benefits, then what the hell are the things for?"
Comments
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1. Karen Challinor
the NIR/ID card scheme can do the following
it can control access to resources by acting as an entitlement card - rationing
it can control movement by limiting access to transport
it can control access to locations such as government buildings
it can monitor the populations movements and expentiture and thereby provide controls on these
it can provide a revenue stream for the government when it sells these statistics to third parties
it can't do anything else, any other claim is illusory at best and misleading at worst
it's the thin end of the wedge and the government has to insert it somewhere so they can claim at least a partial success in the roll out of this flawed scheme before the next election
and it's either airports or students, it's not necessary and wont bring any benefits in either case, but they are relatively small groups who can be bullied easily and there is sufficient rhetoric for the government to use to justify their case
the rhetoric sounds good however incorrect it is
so I guess airports came down heads
2. Roger Huffadine
IDiot cards- named after the promoters of this costly useless scheme.
3. Adrian Tawse
So, "We think ID cards can be a sensible enhancement of[sic] pre-employment checking,". But thses people are already emplyed.