[no2id-supporters] NO2ID Newsletter No.63

Thu Jan 18 18:50:08 GMT 2007

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    NO2ID
    NO2ID Supporters' Newsletter No. 63 - 18th January 2007

*Contacting us:* Call or email the office - 020-7793-4005 or 
(office at no2id.net). Please do not reply to this email. (The from address 
is the not a working email address)

      GET GOING - GET GROWING - FOR ID-DAY

NO2ID has declared 26th March 2007 as 'ID-Day' and our network across 
the UK has already begun preparations for coordinated action across the 
UK - but we need YOUR help.

Why 26th March? Because this is the day, according to recently-leaked 
government documents, on which the first ID interrogation centres will 
be opening their doors for business. NO2ID wants to ensure that this 
moment is marked in a way that will grab the nation's attention. We have 
just TEN weeks to organise ourselves for ID-Day.

To be effective we have to reach out and engage with more people. All 
the polls show there are literally millions of ID opponents in the 
country - we need your help to find them. If every one of our registered 
supporters were to find just *five* others to support the campaign, and 
just ONE of them became a paid up member, NO2ID would become the largest 
civil liberties group in the UK. We are already one of the most active.

We have launched a new format petition sheet to help in this effort. The 
new design will, we hope, make reading people's handwritten details much 
easier for our hard-working office volunteers.

You can download the PDF here: 
http://www.no2id.net/downloads/forms/NO2IDpetition.pdf

Please print off copies for use whenever and wherever you can: at any 
appropriate social occasion or location. Send all completed sheets to 
NO2ID, Box 412, 19-21 Crawford Street, London W1H 1PJ. Thank you for 
your help - every new supporter helps.

      What's next?

        CALLING ALL LONDON... CALLING YOUNG PEOPLE...

NO2ID is holding an action planning meeting at 7pm on Thursday, 25th 
January for all London-based local group organisers, volunteers and 
especially young people (16-24) who want to get active in opposing the 
database state. If you haven't got involved before but want to DO 
something about encroaching state control of your personal information, 
now's your chance.

The meeting will be held at NO2ID HQ - Southbank House, Black Prince 
Road (off Albert Embankment), London SE1 7SJ - and everyone is welcome 
BUT space is limited, so please RSVP to Adam McGreggor 
[national.secretary at no2id.net] if you are *definitely* going to make it.

TIME: 7:00pm
DATE: 25th January 2007
VENUE: Southbank House, Black Prince Road, London SE1 7SJ

        Local groups

We have a new local group in Thurrock (contact via thurrock at no2id.net). 
We have groups all around the country and in 36 of the 69 locations of 
ID interrogation centres. If you can help to set up a local group in one 
of the remaining towns then please contact us at (office at no2id.net). A 
full list of local groups can be found at (www.no2id.net/localGroups) , 
a list of the interrogation centres can be found at 
(www.no2id.net/getInvolved/idCentres.php) , there is also a detailed 
discussion of the interrogation centres on our forum 
(http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=13329)

        1st Tuesday of the month - Hackney NO2ID monthly meetings

The Hackney local group covering London E8, E5, E9 & N16 areas meet on 
the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 in Cafe Bohemia by Hackney 
Central Station. New support very welcome to help raise awareness over 
the coming months.

        NO2ID Cambridge Campaign stall

Cambridge NO2ID will be running Saturday street stalls outside Cambridge 
Guildhall from 10am onwards on Saturday 27th January, Saturday 17th 
February, and every third Saturday until at least March. Location Map: 
http://tinyurl.com/eo42r. Volunteers to help very welcome - contact 
Andrew Watson via cambridge at no2id.net, or on 07710 469624.

        Saturdays 1pm - 3pm - NO2ID Edinburgh Campaign stall

After a short break during Christmas and Hogmanay NO2ID Edinburgh has 
resumed its regular Princes Street campaigning stall on Saturdays. We 
shall be at our usual location at the east end of Princes Street, 
opposite the Balmoral Hotel, from 1pm - 3pm. We use our stall to raise 
public awareness of the Identity Cards scheme, collect donations and 
entries for the NO2ID petition, and also to increase membership of our 
group.  Please do pop by for a chat if you happen to be around. We aim 
to have the stall up and running most Saturdays, and new volunteers are 
always very welcome. You can see photos of our stall and group contact 
details at: www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/

        19th January - Dumfries NO2ID Inaugural Meeting

Friday, 19th January 7pm. The inaugural meeting of the Dumfries NO2ID 
local group will be held. Anyone in the Dumfries area who would like to 
either learn more about the issues or get involved in the campaign is 
invited to attend. Further details from dumfries at no2id.net

        23rd January - Glasgow NO2ID Meeting

Tuesday, 23rd January 7.30pm. The first Glasgow NO2ID meeting of in Mono 
(10 King St, Glasgow, G1 5QP). This meeting will offer us an opportunity 
to start making preparations for ID-Day. Everyone is very welcome to 
attend! Map: (www.glasgow-no2id.org.uk/meeting.html). (Alternative venue 
if necessary: Laurie's bar)

        25th January - NO2ID Swindon planning meeting

Thursday, 25th January 7.30pm at Clifton Inn, Clifton street, Swindon 
(off Kings Hill). For more information contact swindon at no2id.net

        29th January - Colchester NO2ID First Meeting

Monday, 29th January, 8pm, venue to be confirmed. The new Colchester 
NO2ID group will be holding an initial planning meeting. Those 
interested in attending or otherwise helping with the Colchester 
campaign should contact Barry O'Connell, at colchester at no2id.net

        1st or 8th February (tbc)- Hackney NO2ID Pub Fingerprinting
        flyering pub crawl

Thursday 1st or 8th February, Hackney NO2ID will be going on a pub 
crawl, distributing 'pub fingerprinting' flyers and to see how 
responsive landlords are to samples of the NO2ID beer mats. Volunteers 
who fancy going for a pint for freedom should contact 
(hackney at no2id.net). Next Hackney meeting is Tuesday 6th February, see 
above for venue details.

        5th February - NO2ID Highbury Meeting

Monday, 5th February 6.30pm for a 7pm start at Jorene Celeste at 153 
Upper Street, Islington. This meeting will be concentrating on planning 
activities for the 'ID Day' on 26th March.  If you have any ideas or 
suggestions to make then please come along. For more details contact 
higbbury at no2id.net

        7th February NO2ID Brighton Public Meeting - Patient Privacy in
        the Database State

Wednesday, 7th Feb, 7pm - 9pm at Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, 
Brighton. The Government is planning to upload all of our patient 
records onto a new database system called the NHS spine. They claim it 
will allow paramedics quick access to medical information on the scene 
of an accident but who other than paramedics will be viewing this 
information? What happens when the information on the database is 
incorrect? And will this system link in with the surveillance 'audit 
trail' built into the ID cards system? Speakers: Prof. Ross Anderson, 
Cllr. Helen Wilkinson, Duncan Campbell, Dr. Bob Brecher.

        13th February - NO2ID Swindon Public Discussion - 'Who's
        Identity is it anyway?'

Tuesday, 13th February 7.30pm at Pilgrim Centre, Swindon. The discussion 
will be chaired by Brunel FM's News Editor Keith Stainer. Joining him on 
the panel will be: Michael Wills MP -- Labour, Swindon North, Cllr 
Justin Tomlinson -- Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon North, 
Cllr Martin Wiltshire - Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon South, 
Anna Ellis - Database Specialist, Robert Buckland - Conservative 
Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon South, Tel Hudson - Liberal Democrat 
Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon North, Bill Hughes - Green Party 
Parliamentary Candidate, Stephen Halden - UKIP Parliamentary Candidate

        23rd March - NO2ID Norwich: Public Meeting

Friday, 23rd March 2007 7pm-9pm at Hellesdon Community Centre, Middleton 
Lane, Hellesdon NR6 5SR. Norwich NO2ID will be holding a public meeting, 
speaker details TBC. All are welcome. Map: 
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?pc=NR65SR
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      What just happened?

        New look NO2ID forums

The NO2ID online discussion forums have been revamped for the new year. 
Our forums are a great place to discuss the issues surrounding ID cards 
and the database state and to plan action or promote events and meetings.
See http://forum.no2id.net/

        The end of privacy - more Data Sharing plans emerge

The government have released their annual report into their 
Transformational government Strategy. The report reveals that a data 
sharing strategy is planned for publication by summer 2007. The 
government are trying to sell data sharing to the public as a way of 
helping people as part of their "social exclusion action plan". A 
Cabinet Committee (MISC3129) is developing the Government's strategy for 
data sharing across the public sector.
See http://www.cio.gov.uk/documents/annual_report2006/trans_gov2006.pdf
You can comment on the report at http://www.commentonthis.com/tfg/
Also see our forum for more details of data sharing: 
http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=14832

        Germany pushes EU-wide biometric ID

Germany, which took over the EU presidency on 1 January, wants to 
"harmonise the use of biometrics in visas, passports, residence permits 
and identity documents in the EU". Under the slogan "Living Europe 
safely", the German presidency plans to emphasise law and order issues. 
Increased cross-border police cooperation and data exchange are major 
agenda items. Often, a national government's particular European 
hobbyhorses do not outlive its six-month presidency. But Germany has 
neatly sidestepped that safeguard by getting the next two presidencies 
(Portugal and Slovenia) signed up to a strongly pro-surveillance 
"18-month plan". This includes a review of the current EU data 
protection directive. In December, the German interior minister 
reportedly called the Internet a "training camp for terrorists".
Read the Work programme for the German EU Presidency at 
http://tinyurl.com/3a8q9o (PDF)
Read the 18-month joint programme at http://tinyurl.com/3xhrkd (PDF)

        Télé réalité

Is there too much surveillance in France? "Oui" voted 81.7% of the 
studio audience at the end of a French television debate this January. 
"Well of course you all have this feeling of being watched," shrugged 
the losing speaker. "You're on TV."
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      "ID" in the news

        Microchips for mentally ill planned in shake-up - The Telegraph
        17/1/07

Radical measures for tackling crime - ranging from monitoring the 
behaviour of the mentally ill with radio chips to hormone injections for 
sex offenders --- are to be considered by the Government in a 
wide-ranging policy review ordered by Tony Blair.
http://tinyurl.com/3b688c

        Government to relax data sharing laws - vnunet.com 15/1/07

Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce plans today to shake up the 
rules governing data protection within government departments. The plans 
are expected to change the restrictions on government departments 
sharing personal data on UK citizens in an effort to improve public 
services, according to Minister for Works and Pensions John Hutton.
http://tinyurl.com/2n7tul

        Blair's Super Database -- a vision of madness - PJC Journal 15/1/07

Tony Blair thinks that creating a super database for everyone in Britain 
is a good idea, then ponder that combined with all his new laws lets 
look at the story of  Average Joe Soap, clean, honest living man. In a 
free society, the rights and laws protect the individual from the 
government. In a dictatorship, the rights and laws protect the 
government from the people.
http://tinyurl.com/yjtd7f

        Whitehall plan for huge database - BBC News Online 14/1/07

A giant database of people's personal details could be created at 
Whitehall under government plans which ministers say will help improve 
public services.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6260153.stm

        Tories attack data-sharing plans - BBC News Online 14/1/07

A plan to share people's personal details between government departments 
on a database would be a threat to privacy, the Conservatives say. 
Shadow constitutional affairs secretary Oliver Heald accused the 
government of "moving one step closer to a 'Big Brother' state".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6260767.stm

        UK to review school fingerprinting - The Register 12/1/07

The Department for Education and Skills is to reconsider the 
fingerprinting of school children after a four year campaign by parents. 
Jim Knight, schools minister, told Greg Mulholland, campaigning LibDem 
MP for Leeds North West, in a letter sent on 12 December, that he would 
"update the guidance on the use of biometric technologies" by schools.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/12/kiddyprint_review/

        Public login plan under fire - Computing 4/1/07

Government plans for a single authentication system for citizens 
accessing public services online may be derailed by procurement issues 
branded by one industry insider as 'rank bad practice'.
http://tinyurl.com/w5z7m

(Please send me any items of interest you encounter - 
Editor(newsletter at no2id.net) )
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Publication details: © NO2ID 2007 - This document may be freely 
redistributed in one-to-one communications or physical copies as long as 
it is reproduced in its entirety including this notice. It may not be 
mass-mailed without the prior permission of NO2ID.

NO2ID, Box 412, 19-21 Crawford Street, LONDON W1H 1PJ
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