[no2id-supporters] NO2ID Newsletter No.82

Fri Oct 12 11:59:55 BST 2007

    NO2ID Supporters' Newsletter No. 82 - 12th October 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)

      THE 'ENTITLEMENT CARD' TROJAN HORSE

What could be more innocuous than a free bus pass?

When David Blunkett first floated the idea of ID cards back in 2003, he 
did so under cover of the name 'entitlement cards'. People saw through 
the spin and the government was forced to call them what they really are.

Four years on, we're seeing a re-emergence of the 'entitlement' concept 
as the Department for Transport expands its "National Concessionary 
Travel Scheme". Already running in Scotland and parts of Wales, this 
RFID smartcard-based scheme has several characteristics that are of concern:

    * - the unique numbering of older and disabled people, and some children
    * - significantly expanded collection and collation of personal
      information
    * - a clear intention to share data across local and central government

When applying for one of these new 'bus passes', one has not only to 
submit to having your personal details shared for as-yet-undefined 
purposes but also to having every one of your journeys logged. And yet 
again the focus is on the card not the database behind it - or the 
amount of information that will be stored and shared, or who will have 
access.

Of course, a local authority-issued entitlement card could in time be 
made a 'designated document' - which means compulsory entry onto the 
national ID database.

It's not too late to kick up a fuss. Write to YOUR councillor and local 
authority - use http://www.writetothem.com - demanding that free and 
reduced-fare travel not be used as a Trojan Horse for central government 
data-sharing and ID agendas. There's no need for a local authority to 
withdraw entirely from the scheme, but it should *contractually* commit 
to using the cards for the single purpose of concessionary travel.

A government-issued database-linked smartcard of undefined purpose, 
tracking you and providing personal information to agencies and persons 
unknown is an ID card in all but name.

--
With thanks to John Welford. To read more about the Scottish experience, 
download a copy of John's 12 page report (Adobe PDF format, 548KB) here: 
http://www.jwelford.demon.co.uk/snec/report.pdf

      What's next?

        Taking Liberties out on DVD October 15th

On Monday the UK documentary 'Taking Liberties' will be released on DVD. 
The DVD has over two hours of material that didn't make it into the 
cinema release including: Making of Taking Liberties featurette, 
Original promo, Theatrical Trailer, Director's commentary, extended 
interviews with Rachel North, Mark Thomas, Joanna Lumley, Boris Johnson, 
Shami Chakrabarti, Henry Porter, Andrew Gilligan, Lord Carlisle and many 
more, additional and extended footage of action at demonstrations and 
John Reid and his ASBO. NO2ID features in the film and are plugged at 
the end as a group to join to help claw back our liberties. Also 
available is a book of the same name that has a whole chapter on ID cards.
See www.noliberties.com for more details

        Local groups news

We now have groups 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

        Taunton NO2ID needs your help

Our Taunton local group co-ordinator is stepping down. Anyone in the 
Taunton area interested in taking over this role should contact 
local.groups at not2id.net

        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

        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

        October - Proposed Liverpool NO2ID meeting

Liverpool NO2ID are currently scouting for venues to get something 
together for an evening meeting in October. If anybody can make the 
meeting, the objective will really be to throw ideas into the hat and 
discuss things.  If people can't make the meeting, they can fire stuff 
over via email for the meeting to discuss. Contact liverpool at no2id for 
more information.

        13th October - NO2ID Cambridge Stall

Saturday, 13th October at 10am - Cambridge NO2ID'S next street stall 
will be in the usual spot outside Cambridge Guildhall. Location Map: 
http://tinyurl.com/eo42r. As ever, volunteers to help very welcome - 
please email cambridge at no2id.net, or text/call Alex on 07811 917096 if 
you can make it.

        13th October - Manchester NO2ID Street Stall

Saturday, 13th October 1-3pm 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!

        17th October - Manchester NO2ID Meeting

Wednesday, 17th October 7-9pm 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. At our monthly meetings we discuss the state of the NO2ID 
campaign, what we've been up to recently and where we're going in 
future. Everyone is welcome, newcomer or not, curious or committed. 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.

        18th October - Cardiff NO2ID Meeting

Thursday, 18th October 7pm at "A shot in the dark" (upstairs). This is 
in City Road (off Newport road, near queen street). Contact Solly Cardy 
on cardiff at no2id.net

        7th November - Cambridge NO2ID pub meeting

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

        2nd IDABC eIDM Interoperability Workshop

On 12th September a workshop on the interoperability of European ID 
cards was held in Brussels. The workshop was described as: "in support 
of the i2010 eIDM Roadmap, the Workshop on 'Common Specifications for 
eIDM Interoperability' aimed to present and explain the inputs gathered 
and the work achieved towards the production of the draft 'Common 
Specification for eID Interoperability'". The electronic identity 
management (eIDM) roadmap states that: "In all EU Member States several 
initiatives are underway to introduce electronic identities (eID) for 
public services". The plan is to have common ID card specifications 
across Europe by 2010. The eID roadmap and workshop presentations can be 
downloaded at http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7180

        Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells NO2ID at the Fabians

Last Friday Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells NO2ID spoke to the Fabian 
Society on ID cards and the National Identity Register. Group 
co-ordinator Ian Holton said: "We received an overwhelmingly positive 
reception from the Fabians. Opposition to NO2ID was almost 
disappointingly thin, but a good debate was had nonetheless".

        Cambridge NO2ID and student support

Cambridge NO2ID had a presence at the Cambridge University Student Union 
Societies' Fair on 2nd & 3rd October, kindly hosted by CU Student 
Liberal Democrats. Other political societies including the Conservative 
Association, the Fabians and Respect were also very supportive, and 
helped us hand out badges and literature. We now have several hundred 
student supporters at Cambridge University, and are hoping to organise 
policy debates about ID cards at several political clubs.

        Manchester Students Against ID

Manchester Students Against ID promoted Manchester Amnesty's screening 
of "Taking Liberties", which featured a Q&A session with director Chris 
Atkins. Atkins praised NO2ID and other groups for their important work 
raising public awareness of issues such as the National Identity 
Register. Manchester NO2ID has been mailing all local media a press 
release based around the Home Office's "National Identity Theft 
Prevention Week", calling on the Government to scrap useless expensive 
identity cards and instead buy a cross-cut shredder for every household 
in the country.

        The sinister truth about what they do with our children's
        fingerprints

Sue Reid, writing in the Daily Mail, has been interviewing parents who 
object to their children being routinely fingerprinted to use school 
facilities.
http://www.no2id.net/news/newsblog/?p=693

        The watchers' watchdog

The Information Commissioner's Office has once again made a link between 
the Home Office ID card system and the threat of a surveillance society.
http://www.no2id.net/news/newsblog/?p=689
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      "ID" in the news

        Westminster avoids fingerprints - Computing 12/10/07

Parliament's security advisers have abandoned the idea of using 
fingerprint technology to enhance the security surrounding the Commons 
and the Lords for fear it could pose a risk of mutilation of MPs, Peers 
or staff.
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2201034/westminster-avoids-fingerprints

        UK ID card service mounts birth, marriage, death landgrab - The
        Register 11/10/07

The UK Identity & Passport Service (UKIPS) has staged an identity 
landgrab on birth, marriage and death records. From April 2008 the 
General Register Office, which is responsible for recording these 
matters and is currently a directorate of the Office of National 
Statistics, is to become part of UKIPS, meaning that UKIPS will be 
logging you from the moment you're born until the moment you die.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/11/ips_borg_engulfs_gro/

        Police on album 'identity parade' - BBC News Online 10/10/07

Police are handing out stickers and albums as a way of helping 
youngsters identify their local policing team.  When they have completed 
their albums, the children can have their fingerprint taken at Brixham 
police station and register their details to win a VIP trip to the 
force's headquarters in Exeter.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7037324.stm

        Biometrics trial at Gatwick - Computing 9/10/07

A government trial of fingerprint systems is underway at London's 
Gatwick airport as part of plans to use biometric technology to address 
immigration issues. Applicants for UK visas from across the world are 
already required to provide a fingerprint with their application. Under 
the BioDev project, which runs until April, biometrics from visitors 
from Freetown, Sierra Leone will be checked again when they reach the UK.
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2200790/biometrics-trial-gatwick

        Lord Darzi pledges IT review - E-Health Insider 5/10/07

A review of England's NHS IT modernisation programme to ensure it 
"delivers real clinical benefits" is promised in health minister Lord 
Darzi's interim report on the health service published yesterday.
http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/3093/lord_darzi_pledges_it_review

        Belgium launches multipurpose ID cards - The Guardian 4/10/07

Unlike Britain, where residents will have to be 16 to qualify for the 
card, Belgians are eligible from birth. The Belgian government has begun 
issuing stylishly designed blue and green children's cards both as an 
identity and a child protection measure. The kids' card has three 
functions, says Joachim Van Eyck, project manager at the federal 
interior ministry.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/04/guardianweeklytechnologysection.idcards?gusrc=rss&feed=technology

        Chip-and-pin backfires as credit card fraud soars 25 per cent -
        Daily Mail 3/10/07

Eighteen months after chip and PIN became compulsory, credit and debit 
card fraud is up by more than a quarter, according to banking industry 
figures published today.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=485430&in_page_id=1770

        ID card-based criminal record checks get thumbs up - ZDNet 2/10/07

Plans for a new service using the government's controversial ID cards 
scheme to speed up criminal record checks have met with approval from 
volunteers involved in a trial of the technology. The volunteers piloted 
two potential online services developed by the Identity and Passport 
Service (IPS) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) which could be used 
to authenticate the identities of and information supplied by job 
applicants.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39289753,00.htm

        Europe's concern over UK data protection 'defects' revealed -
        The Guardian 1/10/07

The European Commission is threatening legal action against the UK 
government for failing to properly safeguard individuals' personal data. 
The commission has raised questions over the way the Data Protection Act 
and other legislation have implemented 11 articles of the 34-article 
European data protection directive - almost one-third of the whole.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/story/0,,2180823,00.html

        UK to head pan-EU e-identity programme - Computer Weekly 28/9/07

The UK is to spearhead a £14m pilot project covering 13 European 
countries to test the interoperability of several electronic identity 
systems. This may eventually give citizens and businesses access to 
e-government services across the EU if governments can agree to accept 
one another's vetting processes. "It is about the eventual pan-European 
recognition of electronic IDs," a spokesman for the Identity and 
Passport Service (IPS) told Computer Weekly.
http://tinyurl.com/2kapk4

        Countdown to terminal's take-off - BBC News Online 27/9/07

All passengers on domestic routes will have their photograph taken and 
fingerprint scanned at passport control. Their fingerprint will be 
checked again at the gate before boarding. Heathrow's operator BAA says 
this was to allow them to "enter and use the full departure lounge and 
facilities".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7015785.stm

        DfT unveils 'smart-card' national bus pass for older & disabled
        people - PublicTechnology.net 19/9/07

Department for Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly yesterday unveiled a new 
smart-card pass that will give older and disabled people free off-peak 
bus travel across England from 1st April, 2008. The new passes will also 
incorporate ITSO 'smartcard' technology to boost the roll out of 'smart 
ticketing'.
http://tinyurl.com/2vw33n

(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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