By Nick Heath, 9 July 2008 17:07
NEWS
Young people have condemned ID cards as "illegal" and "creepy" on a website to canvas their views.
People aged 16 to 25 have been using the site MyLifeMyID.org, launched today, to discuss the £4.4bn National Identity Scheme (NIS). So far the vast majority of the comments have been against the project.
Silicon.com's A to Z of ID Cards
A is for Act
B is for Biometrics
C is for Compulsory
D is for Data privacy worries
E is for EDS
F is for Forgery
G is for Government IT
H is for Home Office
I is for Identity and Passport Service
J is for Jury
K is for Hong Kong
L is for London School of Economics
M is for Money
N is for National Identity Register
O is for Other cards
P is for Passports
Q is for Quarter
R is for Refuseniks
S is for Self-destruct
T is for Terrorist
U is for Utility bill
V is for Verification
W is for When
X is for Xenophobia
Y is for Young people
Z is for London Zoo
Feedback from the site will be put towards tailoring the biometric card to suit young people's needs when they are offered the cards from 2010.
Site forums so far have raised fears about data security and governments abusing the information despite the glowing assessment of the scheme offered by home secretary Jacqui Smith as she launched the site on Wednesday.
One comment said: "This government ID data base gives me the creeps."
Another asked: "How do we protect our British freedoms and put a stop to this totalitarian scheme to control our identities?"
Smith claimed the cards, expected to cost £30, will make it easier for young people to prove their identity when opening a bank account, enrolling in college or proving their age in pubs and clubs.
She said the two fingerprints and photograph stored on the card would provide greater protection against identity theft and help fight illegal working, immigration abuse and serious crime.
Smith said in a statement: "We see identity cards delivering real benefits to young people, which is why their opinions on the cards and how they might use them are so important."
The ID scheme will be rolled out over the next four years, starting with about 10 million "critical" workers in 2009, young people in 2010 and the rest of the UK public in 2011/12, when people will have a choice of a passport or ID card.
The launch of the site coincides with the publishing of findings of a survey by the Identity and Passport Service showing that 63 per cent of young people support the idea of a nationally recognised form of identity to prove their age.
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Good to see that the younger generation are also deeply suspicious of this appalling scheme.
One hopes they are also savy enough not to be taken in by the wilful manipulation of survey statistics ("63% of young people support a card that proves their age" - not at all the same thing as approving of a massive government identity database).
It is THEIR future more than mine that will be affected if this happens - all strength to them in standing up against it.
2. misceng
While the quote " 63 per cent of young people support the idea of a nationally recognised form of identity to prove their age." shows the young have a need, it does not show that the National ID scheme is the answer. I feel that only overwhelming opposition to the scheme will save us from another IT failure of vast proportions and vast expense setting all our privacy at risk. The government has proved they just cannot keep data secure.
3. Adrian Tawse
The real purpose of the ID card scheme is clearly to enable the state to keep tabs on the citizen. It is, at best, of only marginal use in anti terrorism, fraud prevention, benefit fraud, illegal working - funny, I thought work, and paying tax, was a good thing, still there you go. The use to the citizen is certainly less than the £100 cost. If it remains voluntary I can see few people forking out the £100.
4. Karen Challinor
"63 per cent of young people support the idea of a nationally recognised form of identity to prove their age"
proof of AGE, not proof of identity, lifetime monitoring of individual expenditure and movement
"you want to open a bank account for your student loan do you sunshine ? well just take your civil liberties wad them up into a big ball and drop them in this shredder for £30 and you can, no problemo"
the fact that they are having a student loan means they are old enough they don't need proof of age
it's just another way the government is rolling this scheme out one small step at a time, then when enough small steps have been bullied, whipped and coerced into accepting the scheme, the rest of us will be presented with a compulsory scheme to "protect the investment" of those who already have it
5. Ollie Clark
There are an awful lot of Winston Smiths registered on that site. 931 when my mate Winston registered.
6. anonymous
I've carried ID from the age of 15. I feel more protected by carry some form of nationally recognised ID. I don't see what all the fuss is about. I believe that the people with the loudest voices in protest against ID cards are those with the most to hide. A national ID system can only make life easier for all of us. There are so many places we need to prove our identity, surely a single national system will make this easier.
7. Karen Challinor
Anonymous - Newcastle
I have nothing to hide but the government has no business being able to control and monitor my movements and expenditure on a daily basis
the card you carry at the moment doesn't do any of that, in fact I carry a similar card already, it's called a driving license, it has my photo, my name and address plus it has a serial number which allows a very easy check with the DVLA to see if the plastic matches what was issued
I object to the NIR/ID card scheme on many grounds not least of which because I will be forced to either purchase it or be branded a criminal
so I suggest you simply read the ID card act from the government website and have a think about the implications
do you really trust the government with the level and amount of information they will have access to about the minutae of your daily life ?
and if you trust this government then do you really trust all the future governments as well ?
8. G Brown
do what you can to stop this appalling idea.
9. RM
Good to see that students are not as thick as the govt assumes. Perhaps readers might like to visit the website no2id.net? As Karen says, I'm happy to prove my id but not to have all my movements & purchasing tracked. This is just govt control freakery & misuse of powers at its worst. Anti terrorism laws used by councils to track dog poo offenders - all part & parcel of the same pathetic totalitarian mindset.