Truth about ID scheme sneaks out
19 December 2006
The Government has released its important Strategic Action Plan for the National Identity Scheme [1] on the last possible day and with the maximum of misleading spin, in the hope no-one will actually read it, civil liberties campaigners say.
The document was announced on the last day before the parliamentary recess, and accompanied by a press release [2] emphasising largely separate powers to fingerprint foreign residents. But it contains very significant revelations about the nature of government plans and a complete reversal of direction on technology. It comes only a day after a similarly complicated presentation of data-sharing in the National Health Service medical records system. NO2ID [3] accused the government of holding it back to minimise discussion of the important questions raised
Phil Booth, NO2ID’s General Secretary said:
“After being promised all Autumn [4], this is being sneaked out in the hope no-one will be bothered to read it properly just before Christmas. And no wonder. The government has begun to show its hand on data-sharing. Your ID won’t be separate from other government information as ministers have repeatedly promised, but will be kept across multiple computer systems joined together for that purpose, and directly linked, from the start, to pensions, tax and immigration files.[5]
The object of the exercise is made completely explicit: ‘truly joined-up and personalised government’ [6] – in other words, the whole government on your case the whole time.”
-ENDS-
Notes for editors:
1. See
http://www.identitycards.gov.uk/downloads/Strategic_Action_Plan.pdf2. See
http://www.identitycards.gov.uk/news_19-12-06.asp The Action Plan is mentioned only two-thirds down.
3. NO2ID is cross-party, non-partisan national campaign against ID cards and the database state. See
http://www.no2id.net4. An Action Plan was announced “in weeks” by Home Office minister Joan Ryan speaking at the Biometrics 2006 conference in October.
5. See Strategic Action Plan (as note 1) s15
6. See Strategic Action Plan (as note 1) conclusion and chapters 1, 2 and 6
For further information, or for immediate or future interview, please contact Phil Booth (National Coordinator, national.coordinator@no2id.net ) on 07974 230 839, Guy Herbert (General Secretary, general.secretary@no2id.net ) on 07956 544 308 or Michael Parker (Press Officer, press.officer@no2id.net ) on 07773 376 166.
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