ID cards will not prevent terrorism
Dean Carroll writes in Public Servant magazine:
The claims from ministers that ID cards will help to prevent terrorism are “absolute bunkum” according to a leading figure within the electronic security arm of GCHQ.
Instead, the cards are an essential part of the transformational government agenda that will require all public bodies to share information in order to reduce costs and bureaucracy – claimed lead consultant at CESG Harvey Mattinson.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:54
This simply confirms what we already knew – ministers don’t actually believe that the ID card scheme would “help secure our borders and tackle illegal immigration” (as they have said), but are instead introducing it simply for bureaucratic convenience. Worth bearing in mind if you’re queuing up to be fingerprinted, or paying a fine of up to £1000 for losing “your” ID card.
November 19th, 2008 at 14:31
No surprise there at all. Government efficiency is an oxymoron. I think most of this ID nonsense is to make sure people are complying with laws on tax, benefits and so on. Create a bureaucracy to manage a bureaucracy. This is the way civil servants and their political masters think. It all amounts to more state control and snooping on your life.