Pessimism over new technology must end
Brian Glick, editor of Computing, writes in his diary column:
Clearly, nobody wants to see George Orwell proved right. Privacy and personal freedom are fundamental tenets of our society and should never be compromised. But surely, adhering to knee-jerk reactions to any new technology that could be perceived as potentially infringing these rights is every bit as much of an example of the totalitarian tendencies that Orwell’s 1984 was all about.
The only difference is that the jerking knee means the agenda is being controlled not by an intrusive state but by a reactionary minority with their own agenda and political dogma.
I have often heard the argument that the danger with something like identity cards is how do we know a future government might not want to use the information in ways we can not foresee.
Frankly, if we find ourselves with a government that thinks that way, ID cards will be the least of our worries.
June 1st, 2007 at 09:53
It is not a question of our own agenda or political dogma.It is a question of privacy,and the fact thay my ydentity belongs to me and not some government database,over which I have no control as to who is accessing my personal information.And anyway how much is the computer/I.T industry likely to make from contracts for I.D cards?
June 1st, 2007 at 18:20
I would say that even the desire to have these cards to try to see if they work is a danger which I am not prepared to take with my country and my liberty. This particular article sounds bizarrely like the charles clarke documentary which set out to ‘prove’ that id cards would actually safeguard our liberties by looking at Estonia and its experiences with their new e govt. The only thing I can say to that type of tosh is that in 1940 Estonia was invaded by the Soviet Union and as part of the attempt to subjugate the population the Russians brought in their own id card system. This enabled them to make it impossible for people who did not agree with the govt to stay at large within the population. You could not work without your up to date card etc. How would an e form of card have made any difference if you were an Estonian whom the Russians di not agree with. Finally, the idea that those who disapprove of the id card system are in a minority is tosh also. People have not been told the extent to which this scheme will penetrate all aspects of life and the compromises the individual will have to make in order not fall foul of the govt. The basics of a fundamentally free society which respects people’s right and freedoms has in my view already been undermined and may yet be tossed aside finally and completely by the emerging Cameron govt. We shall have to see.