[no2id-supporters] NO2ID Newsletter No.79

Fri Aug 31 11:04:08 BST 2007

    NO2ID Supporters' Newsletter No. 79 - 31st August 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 not a working email address)

      IT'S TIME TO GET PERSONAL

Senior social workers have now warned of the dangers of ContactPoint, 
the £241 million new database intended to contain personal details of 
every child (and parent) in the country. The chairman of the Association 
of Directors of Children's Services (ACDS) Information Systems and 
Technology Policy Committee, Richard Stiff, has written to officials 
outlining "significant" concerns about ContactPoint [1]. Confusion over 
who is responsible for vetting the 330,000+ users and policing the 
system "may allow a situation where an abuser could be able to access 
ContactPoint for illegitimate purposes with limited fear of any 
repercussions."

The security of the entire system has been called into question, given 
that the details of a small number of children are likely to be 
excluded. We are led to believe this will include the offspring of 
celebrities and politicians - but if ContactPoint won't be secure enough 
for the children of pop stars and ministers, it won't be secure enough 
for anyone. ContactPoint will be going 'live' in 2008, so now is the 
time to act.

Write to your MP (http://www.writetothem.com) expressing your concerns, 
and asking if they would want or expect their child's and their own 
personal details to be 'shielded' on ContactPoint. Their answer, or lack 
of one, may be revealing. Please let us know by posting in our forums - 
http://forum.no2id.net/viewforum.php?f=52

And write to your councillor (you can use the same website to send a 
free fax) and/or Chief Executive of your Local Authority to ask just how 
much of the £241 million set-up and £41 million per year running costs 
will be showing up in your council tax. The lack of central funding for 
ContactPoint may well be news to them. You might also ask all of the 
above how they justify spending millions on an intrusive, insecure 
'address book' when the money could be better spent on the specialist 
and targeted services that well over 50% of the children whose details 
will be held on ContactPoint will never need.
--
References:
[1] see http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2332307.ece

      What's next?

        Local groups news

We have local groups all over the country and in 36 of the 69 locations 
of ID interrogation centres (see 
www.no2id.net/getInvolved/idCentres.php). 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

        Conference diary

It is party conference season again, NO2ID's fourth. We don't have 
fringe events this year, but we would still like to have a leafletting 
presence at each (particularly the Labour one) so that the parties 
realise we haven't gone away. If you would like to be involved (perhaps 
you are even attending as a party member), please send an email to 
volunteer at no2id.net with the name of the conference you would like to 
help with in the subject line.

Key dates:
Cooperative: 12 - 15 September, Westminster
Plaid: 13 - 15 September, Llandudno
Green: 13 -16 September, Liverpool
Labour: 23 - 27 September, Bournemouth
LibDem: 15 -20 September, Brighton
Tory: 30 September - 3 October, Blackpool
UKIP: 5 - 6 October, Limehouse, London
SNP: 26 - 28 October, Aviemore

        Kensington and Chelsea NO2ID mugs

Kensington & Chelsea NO2ID once again have some mugs sporting the NO2ID 
logo. The mugs are available by mail order for just £7 or £4 in person 
with a reduction for bulk purchases i.e. (4 or more) to £3. Contact 
kensington at no2id.net for more details of how to order.

        Manchester NO2ID calls for "Students against ID" volunteers

Manchester NO2ID are still looking for people interested in helping with 
a Students Against ID society in the next academic year. If you're at 
all interested, whether you'd be prepared to shoulder the responsibility 
yourself or just help someone else out, please drop an e-mail to 
manchester at no2id.net

        Still showing - "Taking Liberties" documentary film featuring
        NO2ID at cinemas around the country

The documentary which features NO2ID is still showing at cinemas across 
the UK. The film is described as "a shocking but hilarious polemic 
documentary that charts the destruction of all your Basic Liberties 
under 10 Years of New Labour". More info at 
http://www.noliberties.com/cinema.htm

        Saturdays 1pm - 3pm - NO2ID Edinburgh street stall

Every week, weather permitting, you will find our campaigning stall at 
the east end of Princes Street, opposite the Balmoral Hotel.  Do drop by 
for a chat.  New volunteers - please contact John (edinburgh at no2id.net), 
and for more group information see http://www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/

        Most Saturdays 2pm - NO2ID Glasgow Street Stall

Most Saturdays there are stalls in Glasgow city centre (usually Buchanan 
Street) from about 2pm. Volunteers are always welcome, please contact 
Geraint if you would like to help: glasgow at no2id.net.

        1st September - NO2ID at St Barnabas Fete (East London)

Saturday, 1st September - St Barnabas Fete has agreed to a NO2ID stall - 
Volunteers are needed either to help man the stall or to distribute 
leaflets. Mile End Tube is the nearest  and the details are as follows: 
St Barnabas Community Fete, Wennington Green, Mile End Park, Grove Road, 
London E3 5TG. 12-6pm, www.stbarnabascommunityfete.org. If anyone wants 
to help please ring Jill on 020 7373 4431 or email kensington at no2id.net, 
setting up is at 11am and clearing up is before 7pm.

        4th and 18th September - Glasgow NO2ID Meeting

Tuesday 4th and 18th September, our regular fortnightly meeting at 8pm 
in Mono. All welcome. Map: http://www.glasgow-no2id.org.uk/meeting.html

        Passport interrogations (Glasgow)

Glasgow NO2ID are keen to hear from anyone who has been summoned to 
attend the interrogation centre at Blythswood House after applying for 
their first passport. Please contact Geraint at glasgow at no2id.net or 
Charlie at myspace.com/no2idglasgow

        5th September - Cambridge NO2ID pub meeting

Wednesday, 5th September, 7.30pm - Cambridge NO2ID's informal pub 
meetings are on the first Wednesday of each month. Join us at the Free 
Press (pub), 7 Prospect Row, Cambridge CB1 1DU 
(http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=cb1+1du). For more details contact 
cambridge at no2id.net, or text/call Andrew on 07710 469624.

        8th September - Cambridge NO2ID at the Cherry Hinton Festival

Saturday, 8th September - Cambridge NO2ID will have a stall at the 
Cherry Hinton Festival near Cambridge (www.cherryhintonfestival.co.uk). 
The festival runs from 11am to 6pm on Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground on 
Cherry Hinton High Street (http://tinyurl.com/2np2yp). Volunteers to 
help man the stall and distribute NO2ID literature very welcome. Contact 
Alex or Andrew at cambridge at no2id.net, or text/call 07710 469624.

        8th September - NO2ID Manchester Street Stall

Saturday, 8th September 1-3pm, Manchester NO2ID will be running a 
Saturday afternoon stall in St. Anne's Square. The main objectives of 
the afternoon will be to raise awareness among the public, engage people 
in discussion about the NIR, and collect petitions for the NO2ID 
petition to keep people in touch with the campaign.  We'll meet in the 
square itself at 1pm to set up shop; feel free to join us to lend a hand 
or just chat. You don't need any experience or equipment, just a bit of 
time to spare and a friendly smile!

        12th September - Manchester NO2ID Meeting

Wednesday, 12th September 7-9pm, Manchester NO2ID will be holding our 
monthly meeting in the upstairs function room of the Town Hall Tavern, 
Tib Lane, Manchester. Sadly, this venue is not wheelchair-accessible; 
please contact us if you have accessibility needs. The Town Hall Tavern 
serves reasonably-priced, good quality food until 8pm so you don't need 
to pop home for tea - you can even order your meal brought up to the 
function room.

        12th September - Camden NO2ID Meeting

Wednesday, 12th September, The Old Crown on New Oxford Street at 7pm. 
Meeting to talk about what we can do to make ourselves heard and raise 
awareness of this issue that we are all clearly so passionate about. 
Camden has never been a borough to lie down and let the government walk 
all over us and I think we can really achieve something here if we put 
our heads together. This is an open meeting and anyone can attend. If 
you think you can come email events at no2id.net so Camden NO2ID have a 
vague idea of numbers.
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      What just happened?

        News from NO2ID Music

NO2ID Music has just made its 1000th MySpace friend! If you want to hear 
music from bands sympathetic to our cause, or are in a band and would 
like to help out, please drop by: myspace.com/no2idmusic

        Scottish ID cards scandal

NO2ID Scotland has published a 12 page report and set up a campaign 
website (www.jwelford.demon.co.uk/snec.html) highlighting the scandal of 
ID cards by the back door in Scotland. The report, 'The Scottish 
national entitlement card: an exercise in wholesale systematic 
deception' explains how the Scottish executive have already introduced 
an ID card, backed by a centralised database, disguised as a bus 
pass/'entitlement card' for pensioners. John Welford of NO2ID Scotland 
said: "It is a national scandal that the Executive should have behaved 
so dishonestly towards the elderly, and heads should now roll. I have 
returned my ID card to be destroyed, but despite months of fruitless 
correspondence with the Executive it has refused to send me the bus pass 
I applied for and am entitled to." NO2ID Scotland also held a demo 
outside the Scottish Parliament to highlight this and other issues on 
August 21st (see http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=18187)

        NO2ID Scotland and Section 57

Another issued highlighted at NO2ID Scotland's demo at the Scottish 
Parliament was 'Section 57'. NO2ID Scotland are calling for the repeal 
of Section 57 of the Local Electoral Administration and Registration 
Services (Scotland) Act 2006 (http://tinyurl.com/3cfkza) which gives the 
Registrar General the power to create a Scottish Identity Register.
Further information at: http://www.no2id-scotland.net

        Shenzhen - the shape of things to come?

The most intrusive ID and surveillance system ever is about to be 
field-tested in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Starting from 
August, the New York Times reports, electronic "residency cards" are 
being issued. On the chip will be "not just the citizen's name and 
address but also work history, educational background, religion, 
ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status and landlord's phone 
number" - plus the holder's "personal reproductive history". There are 
also plans to add "credit histories, subway travel payments and small 
purchases charged to the card". At the same time, "at least 20,000 
police surveillance cameras" are being installed. These will soon be 
"guided by sophisticated computer software from an American-financed 
company to recognise automatically the faces of police suspects and 
detect unusual activity". The company behind it all is Florida-based 
China Public Security Technology. The German IT news service heise 
online quotes the firm's Robin Huang as stating that it has good 
relations with people like IBM, Cisco, HP and Dell: "All these US 
companies are working with us to build up the system". Which is handy 
for the Chinese government. As the firm's vice-president Michael Lin 
points out, if people in Shenzhen don't get the card, "they cannot live 
here, they cannot get government benefits, and that is a way for the 
government to control the population in the future".
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/business/worldbusiness/12security.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 

        Australia to dump smart card?

Australia's Access Card is in trouble. The government says the proposed 
smart card would streamline health and welfare benefits by replacing 17 
existing cards, including the one for Medicare. But parliamentary 
concerns over security and privacy have repeatedly blocked  the enabling 
legislation. Now, Human Services Minister Chris Ellison has admitted 
that the government's original timetable was far too ambitious. 
Potential suppliers to the scheme are also getting jittery, for reasons 
that may sound familiar to British readers. There is a general election 
coming up, and the opposition parties have pledged to scrap the card if 
they win. Notably the biggest opposition party - Labor.
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      "ID" in the news

        DNA database chaos with 500,000 false or misspelt entries - The
        Independent 26/8/07

Over 500,000 names on the DNA database are false, misspelt or incorrect, 
the Government has admitted. Ministers have disclosed that one in seven 
of the genetic profiles on the controversial database is a "replicate", 
raising alarming questions about the integrity and accuracy of the 
entire system.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2896193.ece

        Whitehall to boost identity spend by £5.2bn - The Register 22/8/07

Public sector spending on identity management (IdM) is set to surge by 
£5.2bn in the next four years, according to a new Kable report. Spending 
on IdM is ready to leap by almost 50 per cent next year from £825m to 
£1.23bn, propelled by major programmes such as the National Identity 
Card Scheme, e-Borders, the Police National Database, and the National 
Offenders Management Systems.
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/08/22/id_spending_rise/

        School uniforms to be tracked by satellite - The Daily Telegraph
        21/8/07

School uniforms could be fitted with satellite technology to allay 
parents' fears over child abduction. Trutex, a specialist supplier, is 
considering putting GPS tracking devices in new clothes amid increasing 
concerns over safety. The company surveyed 800 parents and found that 
more than two in five feared their young children were at risk of being 
snatched.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/21/ngps121.xml

        Uncertainty in UK's ID card plans - CBR Online 17/8/07

The UK government has started the tender process to allow suppliers to 
join those that will be registered as potentially available to meet the 
technological requirements of its identity card program. However, there 
are significant areas of uncertainty as to what the system will 
encompass and provide.
http://www.cbronline.com/article_feature.asp?guid=1C7227CC-6440-4035-8E7D-C4EADA4EB17C

        'Surveillance society' warning on data sharing - Financial Times
        6/8/07

Confidential personal data -- gleaned from sources as diverse as driving 
licences, medical records and store loyalty cards -- is now often shared 
without people's knowledge, the information commission will warn on 
Tuesday, in its latest salvo against what it calls the "surveillance 
society".
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fdf57d8c-4458-11dc-90ca-0000779fd2ac.html

        Errors weaken trust in data-sharing - Financial Times 6/8/07

The police force is a giant in data collection, embracing an ever 
increasing number of sources from driving licences to DNA to Transport 
for London's Oyster card payment system and its numberplate 
identification collected as part of the congestion charge.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9b53679c-4454-11dc-90ca-0000779fd2ac.html

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

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