ID in the News

Archive for October, 2009

Alan Johnson in row with Brown over ID cards as minister’s allies ‘think leadership will just fall into his lap’

Posted at Sunday, October 25th, 2009 by andrew

Simon Walters, writing in the Mail on Sunday, reports tensions within the cabinet over the ID cards scheme:
Home Secretary Alan Johnson was accused yesterday of undermining Gordon Brown as the Labour leadership was hit by a fresh bout of infighting.
Mr Brown’s allies say relations with Mr Johnson have been damaged after disagreements over identity cards [...]

Posted in General, Neutral, UK News Articles | 1 Comment »

5m DNA records but less success in fighting crime

Posted at Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 by andrew

John Higginson writes on the front page of Metro:
One million people have been added to the DNA database in the past two years but it is helping to solve fewer crimes, new figures show.
There are now almost 5 million profiles on the database, up 500,000 on a year ago and 1 million since 2007.
However, the [...]

Posted in Database state, Neutral, UK News Articles | Comments Off

Labour can unify liberty and security

Posted at Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 by andrew

Charles Clarke writes on the Guardian Comment is Free web site about his vision for a Labour Fourth term, including an extended section headed “Identity databases”:
The controversy about identity cards has been politically potent. However, the debate has been beset by misleading and even duplicitous arguments.
The truth is that technological change means that massive identity [...]

Posted in Database state, General, Pro, UK News Articles | 1 Comment »

Middle-class voices hush up a criminal waste of resources

Posted at Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 by andrew

Mark Johnson writes in The Guardian about the public reaction to the new Independent Safeguarding Authority:
As an author who speaks in schools, and sometimes gives lifts to other people’s children, I should be outraged. But I’m just confused. I’ve got the sort of criminal record that means the VBS will certainly vet and bar me. [...]

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This is no innocent U-turn on DNA

Posted at Monday, October 19th, 2009 by andrew

Henry Porter writes on the Guardian Comment is Free web site:
The government’s climbdown on proposals that the police should keep innocent people’s DNA for between six and 12 years should not be mistaken for a change of heart, nor should we celebrate this as a victory for article 8, the right to privacy, of the [...]

Posted in Anti, Biometrics, Database state, General, UK News Articles | Comments Off