Let’s have wide-ranging debate on ID cards
The Herald has printed a letter detailing the tactics of those who want to avoid having a debate about ID cards and the surveillance society. Here’s an excerpt:
There can be no sensible debate about the ID scheme because the government refuses to enter such a debate. When NO2ID Scotland wrote last year to invite the Home Office to send a minister – or anyone else – to Glasgow for a public meeting in the run-up to these elections, it declined. When the BBC recently asked for a minister to go up against me on Scotland Live, the Home Office instead provided a civil servant on the strict condition that there be no discussion between us. Requests for information about the scheme are routinely denied; the government certainly shows no lack of initiative when evading the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act.
The government offers no defence of its position. Whenever its assertions are proven to be baseless, it fails to explain itself, instead constantly shifting its ground, offering alternative motives and veiling the scheme in a shroud of secrecy. Instead of justifying its policy, it attacks critics.
April 29th, 2007 at 19:07
There has been much talk of Identity, proof of identity, identity management, ID cards, RFID passports etc.
Firstly it needs to be established as to who ‘owns’ ones identity. Who owns me? Is it the state or me?
I contend that it is myself who owns my identity, I own my eyes, and their colour, I own my name, I own my height and any other physical, biological or DNA characteristics about my being.
If we can establish in law that I own my identity, in such the same way as IPS is established, then I can licence, either indefinitely or for a set period of time any government department, public bodies, or indeed marketing companies etc to use certain details of my identity for specific purposes.
Those purposes could be for certain state functions, benefits, voting etc.
If my identity is subsequently used for any other purposes, then the holder of my licence must apply for an extension to the terms of their licence in order to do so, or not use those details.
If my identity is subsequently shared with anyone else, unless my licence to them specifically states that they may share those details, they would be in breach of the licence and could be sued under the law.
This would mean that certain marketing companies for instance would be put out of business, which to some would be no bad thing, as they would be trading in illegally obtained identities.
However, the first step in any such scheme would indeed to establish in law, who owns my identity. I do believe that this would also be in keeping with the terms of the UN convention on human rights.