Yearly Archives: 2006


Henry Porter wraps up the year with a comment piece in the Observer about public compliance with the government’s erosion of civil liberties in 2006: So we must accept part of the responsibility for this government’s high-handed behaviour, though the lion’s share goes to Tony Blair and those members of his cabinet who have been most active in the degradation of standards and the general attack on liberty, which has been unapologetically the concern of this column for so much of 2006. A year ago, it was difficult not to be depressed. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act was about to come into force and so allow the police to arrest anyone for any offence and take their fingerprints, photo and DNA whether they were charged or not. Ahead of us lay the bill which would ban the glorification of terrorism and the ID card bill, both of which […]

After a sinister year, it’s down to us to protect ...


The Guardian editorial for 27th December says: Privacy is one of those concepts which are easier to understand than define. A human life of any quality relies on a reasonable expectation of privacy. Yet modern technology – whether deployed by corporations, individuals, media or the state – offers unlimited scope for intrusion into private lives. The border between considerations of public interest, security and convenience on the one hand, and of privacy on the other, is becoming crowded territory. It concludes: With official databases so easily penetrated it is reasonable to ask searching questions about the drive in government to centralise digital information about our lives. Ministers talk sweet reason in making the case for ID cards and national NHS records. But they must know that such systems are always open to abuse. CCTV cameras on the streets may offer reassurance and help fight crime. But how relaxed would people […]

Time to go public


Melissa Kite writes in the Sunday Telegraph: A draconian regime of fines, which would hit families at times of marriage and death, is being drawn up by ministers to enforce the Identity Card scheme. … The extent of the fines for minor infringements is revealed in written answers from John Reid, the Home Secretary, and other ministers. They show that the Government is drawing up sinister sounding “guidance on death registration” which will order bereaved families to return the card of their deceased relative within a specified period. Failure to do so would carry a £1,000 fine under the “invalidity and surrender of ID cards” section of the Identity Cards Act 2006. Mr Reid confirmed: “We intend to work closely with the General Registrar Offices to ensure that the notification of death and return of the ID card can be done in a sensitive manner.” Joan Ryan, the Home Office […]

£1,000 fine for failing to update identity cards



Chris Mellor writes in Techworld: The government has made a U-turn on controversial plans for a single ID Card database. Instead of one huge, new National Identity Register (NIR) database, it will now be spread across three existing systems. John Reid, the Home Secretary, said it was “a sensible decision” and denied it was a U-turn. … This has not fostered much confidence in the project. Of the three systems, one is known to be inadequate except as a stop-gap, the technical feasibility of the second is unknown and the third will need enlarged capabilities to cope with the amount of ID card information. NIR data will also have to be seperated by digital Chinese walls from other data on these systems. The need to construct a complete ID card from three separate systems not designed to co-operate in the first place, and with sufficient security checks, will add to […]

House of ID Cards collapses


Analyst company Ovum’s web site carries a short summary of Graham Titterington’s views on the Home Office “Action Plan”: The downgrading of the role of biometrics comes as somewhat of a surprise. There is no mention of iris recognition, apart from a brief sentence. Generally the report talks about ‘biometrics such as finger prints’. It does still contain a commitment to recording all 10 finger prints in the NIR and an increased role for a PIN, when a citizen wants to assert their identity. Overall the proposals represent a substantial retreat from the ‘Gold standard of identity’ originally proposed. Whilst, the government is still placing heavy reliance on the role of biometrics in preventing a person from making multiple registrations in the NIR, this objective seems unlikely to be achieved without the use of iris scans. … The report does nothing to clarify the proposed use cases for the NIR […]

UK Government reports on changes to ID scheme


Lots of coverage of the Home Office’s “ID Cards Action Plan”. Steve Ranger writes in Silicon.com: The government has trimmed back its controversial ID cards plans, ditching a single mega-database to hold all ID card information, and shelving the use of iris-scanning biometrics. The National Identity Register (NIR) was to be the giant database at the heart of the project, holding personal identity information and biometric data for everyone enrolled in the scheme. But now three existing systems will share the NIR information instead. The government’s action plan for the ID cards project revealed: “These sets of information – biometric, biographical and administrative – do not all need to be held in a single system. In fact, for security reasons, and to make best use of the strengths of existing systems, it makes sense to store them separately.” … The plan for which biometrics will be used in the ID […]

ID card mega-database ditched



News today of a government u-turn on the computer system. Initially this was advertised as a ‘clean slate’ system. No2ID has repeatedly warned the government that keeping data on a single system would be insecure and vulnerable to attack, and that the sheer size of the IT project meant that it would be virtually unworkable. The government has realised that we were right and has backtracked. Now, the data will be held on three separate databases which already exist – the IND asylum seekers’ database, the DWP and the passport service. Questions should still be raised about the security and the effectiveness of these databases and how they will cope with the volume of material they will have to process. This is a cautious step forward as the government admits that its proposals were flawed. It’s a shame that they spent so much money on it before realising this.

Government U-turn on computers


On a slightly lighter note, Philip Johnston writes in The Daily Telegraph: The BBC is conducting an interesting exercise, asking listeners to Radio 4 which piece of legislation they wish to see repealed. The Identity Cards Act 2006 has my vote, but many of the other suggestions – how about what’s left of seller’s packs? – could also usefully be dispatched to the knacker’s yard. Throughout this year – indeed, throughout the tenure of this Government – we have had far too much legislation designed to extend state intrusion, bossiness and nannying. Just last month, Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, said that we had woken to find ourselves in the surveillance society. Now, confidential Whitehall papers have fallen in to the hands of Home Front that confirm his worst fears. They consist of a number of measures being considered for introduction in Parliament in the New Year that make those […]

Have a very well-regulated Christmas


Graeme Paton writes in The Daily Telegraph: The Independent Schools Council, which represents almost 1,300 private schools, said the so-called Children’s Index would fail to meet international standards for data security and details might be sold on to paedophiles. … The ISC said the proposals would “undoubtedly benefit some children, but they will put far more children at risk”. The public consultation period on the Children’s Index (aka the Information Sharing Index) ended on Thursday.

Child index ‘will be open to hackers’



Oliver Duff writes in the Independent’s Pandora column: The Government must be expecting some rough and tumble when its beloved “anti-terror” ID card scheme finally gets under way. Campaigners from the NO2ID pressure group – which says the compulsory cards will be expensive, ineffective and infringe civil liberties – have been inspecting planning applications for the new “identity interview centres”, where those needing a passport or card face an “intrusive personal interview”. Or so says a Whitehall memo leaked last week. (“No, really, I am Mr Jones. Pleeease turn off the dripping tap…”) Alarmingly, the building plans contain a clearly marked “PANIC ROOM”. Presumably allowing staff to lock themselves in should applicants feel the need to riot en masse.

Pandora


Max Pemberton writes in his “Trust me, I’m a Junior Doctor” column in the Dail Telegraph: Indeed, I have very real concerns about the proposed ID cards and the proliferation of the database state. Considering the plans to link the ID database to NHS records, I also fear the implications for access to health care for marginalised groups and the potential for intrusive health-surveillance. The potential for error and abuse seems great, the benefits infinitesimal. It’s hardly reassuring that the official appointed to oversee the Government’s identity card scheme played a central role in the public-sector computer disaster. If, as we were originally told, identity cards will help in the war on terror, I find it hard to believe that a suicide bomber would be so concerned about their health that they attend an A&E department. The NHS Care Records System – which will form a huge national database of […]

Horrible echoes of Orwell’s Newspeak now ring round the NHS


David Leppard writes in the Sunday Times: Passport applicants are facing a looming crisis of delays, inconvenient journeys and “intrusive” personal interviews, according to a leaked Whitehall memo. They will have to wait up to six times longer for their documents and travel up to 80 miles for face-to-face interviews at passport offices under changes paving the way for the government’s ID cards. At present people can apply by post and get their passports in as little as a week. From March 26, however, the leaked memo reveals all first-time applicants will have to be interviewed in person. By 2008-9 this requirement will be extended to all those seeking to renew their passports, causing millions greater inconvenience by forcing them to travel to one of 69 new passport offices for face-to-face interviews. The changes are being introduced in preparation for ID cards, which will include biometric data such as fingerprints, […]

Passport applicants will have to attend personal interviews



The Guardian is running a PA piece on the miSense trial at Heathrow: A new biometric scanning system will prove to air travellers the benefits of ID card technology ahead of a key Government announcement next week, Immigration Minister Liam Byrne has said. The pilot scheme, which Mr Byrne enrolled in, will let travellers register their fingerprints and iris pattern in order to prove their identity at airport border controls. Passengers will enjoy a speedier journey through the airport as a result, but Mr Byrne said the principal benefit would be increased security. He said: “It’s really easy and I’ve enrolled today. But the reason that this kind of technology is important is not just because it helps travellers go through the system quicker but also because it makes the system more secure. We think it can be part of a much better system to protect identity. “We will next […]

Biometric scanning scheme launched


A members ballot of the NUJ has voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to affiliate to NO2ID. Christina Zaba, Chair of Bristol branch said: “I feel proud to belong to the NUJ today. The results of this ballot shows that our members are aware of what is going on around them. NO2ID and the NUJ are not averse to voluntary ID cards, but we are against this system which allows the government, and everyone else, to spy on us. If that’s “voluntary” in the dictionary definition, not Blairspeak, then I’d probably agree. Though I’d probably use the phrase “voluntary, citizen-owned, privacy-centric secure ID” just so there’s no room for confusion. Christina goes on: “The proposed database is a threat to our profession as well as our lives. There will be no privacy for anyone. Telephone conversations could be recorded, movements tracked and meetings watched. It will mark the end of investigative journalism, people will […]

NUJ affiliate to NO2ID


Philip Johnston writes in The Daily Telegraph: The first signs of a significant popular revolt against the Government’s identity card scheme have been uncovered by a YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph. It suggests that hundreds of thousands of people, maybe even millions, would refuse to register on the proposed database that will underpin the scheme, even if this meant a fine or going to jail. Despite ministerial claims during the passage of the ID Cards Act through parliament that there was widespread public support for the multi-billion pound plan, the opinion survey shows a country split in two on the issue. It also indicates growing public concern at the encroachment of the so-called “surveillance society”, with large proportions suspicious of the Government’s intentions. Two related articles in the same day’s paper: Rebellion stirs in Big Brother Britain ID cards don’t work – even Tony says so

Millions may resist database, says poll