ID cards will be "snooper's paradise" say critics

ID card critics have slammed government plans to include RFID-style tracking tags on the controversial cards, saying they will be a "snooper's paradise".

Home Office minister Andy Burnham told parliament just before Christmas that ID cards will not contain RFID chips but will contain radio frequency contactless chips.

The paper-thin RFID-style chip is already set to be embedded in the new ePassports, in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines for international travel documents, and can be read by a scanner without the need for the document to be swiped through a reader.

But a row has now broken out over how far chips need to be from scanners for their data to be read. ID card critics have dismissed Burnham's claim that chips can only be read if they are a few inches away from scanners, arguing that signal boosters enable data to be accessed from much further away.

Phil Booth, national co-ordinator for the No2ID campaign group, said in a statement: "The chips will broadcast actual personal details held on the card, not just a number. This technology will make the cards a snooper's paradise."

A leading peer tasked with reviewing the government's anti-terrorism laws has also backtracked on his initial support for ID cards, now saying they will be of "limited value" in fighting terrorism.

In an interview with GMTV, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile questioned whether ID cards would be a proportionate response to boosting national security in terms of the cost and infringement of privacy.

He said: "There may be a gain from the security viewpoint in the curtailment of civil liberties but parliament has to be the judge about whether the proportion is right."

The House of Lords last week blocked the government's ID cards bill over the cost of the scheme and plans to make it compulsory for citizens to be put on a national identity register when applying for a passport.