By Nick Heath, 25 September 2008 17:21
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The Home Office has officially taken the wraps off the new ID card for foreign nationals coming to the UK.
The cards, which will be issued from 25 November, contain eight pieces of information, including two fingerprints and a facial photo scan, which are stored on a chip at its rear.
Here is Home Secretary Jacqui Smith holding up one of the new cards which she said would be "popular" when they are rolled out to the wider UK public from 2011.
Cards for UK nationals will look different to this one, which will be issued exclusively to foreign nationals.
Photo credit: Nick Heath/silicon.com
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. Jeremy Wickins
"The chip is protected by an encryption technique used to combat tampering, described by the Home Office as "very secure"." The crack will be all over the internet by teatime, then ... if it isn't already!!
2. Chris Stevens
RFID card reader distance is more than the Nat Id card reader distance. What a relief.
Of course some RFID technologies can be read at over 50 ft. It is really just a function of signal strength and antenna sensitivity.
I do wish these dumb politicians would stop trying to broadcast mumbo jumbo.
3. Karen Challinor
I don't care if it has a painting by michaelangelo on it, it is not popular with me and it will never be popular with me
4. Phil Darby
They are needed, they are a good idea basically, but this makes no sense at all unless they are issued free of charge as in other countries.
Whatever good they may do, I will not be taking the offer up if there is any charge and if that means moving abroad to a country where they can do this kind of things correctly, that's fine by me!
5. Richard A (again)
"REMARKS: No public funds" - so says this card next to the chip. But what does that mean? IS this a comment about Ms S Sample, or about the ID card scheme (in which case it is a lie).
What other comments might appear in the REMARKS section? "Never buys a round of drinks" perhaps. Or "cheats at scrabble"...?
6. GALLEYSLAVE
"NO PUBLIC FUNDS" means that the holder isn't entitled to dole money free NHS etc.
As for free cards in other countries you only pay for the cost of issuing the card.
I have one for Colombia where I was resident for twelve years and the cost to foriegners was far more than for citizens.
7. Andrew Meredith
So Jolly Jackie says they will be popular. Amazing how these people think that they speaketh The Word and it becometh The Truth.
I and a huge number of others will not have one of these things; the reasons are utterly conclusive and far too numerous to list here.
Hopefully though this is all moot, as every party except NuLab have said they will scrap the scheme lock stock and barrel if/when they get into power.
Reason enough on it's own to vote for somebody else next time I think .. If none of the other blindingly arrogant moves by these jokers hadn't already convinced you they are unfit to run a tombola stall let alone the UK.
8. anonymous
Different to???
9. anonymous
Why?
If the claim is these are needed to protect us against terrorists any of the London bombers would have been able to get one of these. Little bits of plastic will not protect against those with no criminal record who are willing to die for their cause. So this is just another piece of I.D. we will have to carry and pay for, funny her name is Smith wasn't that the name of the guy in the movie '1984' appropriate really.