ID card trials to start next week

An opinion poll suggests most people back an ID scheme
Trials of identity cards are to be launched next week, the BBC has learnt.
The pilot will involve 10,000 volunteers and be run from the Passport Office in London and three other centres around Britain.

The government hopes the pilot scheme will pave the way for compulsory identity cards for everyone within the next decade.

Ministers are due to set out details of plans for a nationwide identity database on Monday.

------------------------------------

OMG! I dont want some government guy knowing everywhere I've been and everything I've done! This Big Brother crap really scares me!

Dont get paranoid. Here in Argentina we have ID for decades and the goverment doesnt know everything about every person. Its onle the logical take that all the goverment must take to get some order.

Mekorig, It depends on what type of Ident card card they issue. Many states here in the U.S. have credit card type of Drivers Licence, and these cards are capable of holding a lot of personal information. Some states want to put personal medical information on these cards to 'help' in case of emergency.

My concern for any type of national ID is and always will be the ability of the government to abuse it.

The legislation to introduce the first national identity card scheme for Britain for 50 years is to be introduced to parliament in the autumn and will be on the statute book before the general election, David Blunkett predicted yesterday.

But some of the home secretary's ministerial colleagues and Whitehall officials counselled caution in view of widespread doubts about the principles behind the scheme and its practicalities. They want it to be introduced slowly.

"David is enthusiastic for this, so is the prime minister, but we may well proceed more slowly," a senior official warned. Several cabinet ministers also remain sceptical.

The draft bill setting out the scheme, to be published today, will not contain the overall cost of implementation, but past official estimates have put it anywhere between £1.3bn and £3.1bn.

Ministers insist that the overall figures cannot be published because of commercial confidentiality but Mr Blunkett insisted yesterday that the scheme will involve hi-tech biometric data such as electronic fingerprints, which is likely to push the final bill towards the top of that range.

Tony Blair will make a speech tomorrow setting out the case for managed migration, ahead of Saturday's formal access of 10 new EU member states. He argued again last week that the disputes within government are only about making sure the cards work.

Full Article

Honestly, I don't think it's a bad idea...
But I know the ACLU would hurl if the idea was brought up here.

Im all for it.

The amount of immigrants and our own homebred losers who are abusing our health, welfare and educational system here is appaling. I dont think we have anything to fear from this introduction.

The only people with fears are the people with things to hide.

Id Card Refusals 'Will Carry A Fine', Blunkett Warns

People who refuse to register for Home Secretary David Blunkett?s proposed identity card will not be hauled before the courts or sent to jail, it emerged today.

But they could face a ?civil financial penalty? of as much as £2,500 for failing to provide personal information if the cards become compulsory, as expected, in 2013.

Publishing draft legislation to pave the way for ID cards, Mr Blunkett said he had decided not to make failure to register information a criminal offence in order to avoid giving opponents the opportunity to become ?martyrs?.

Today?s draft Identity Cards Bill sets out plans for the creation of a National Identity Register of up to 60 million UK residents, linked to ?biometric? cards carrying features including facial recognition, iris images and fingerprints.

Legislation is to be introduced to Parliament in the autumn, and the following years will see biometric technology incorporated into existing identification documents, such as passports and driving licences.

The first documents with facial recognition are due in 2005, and fingerprint details are expected to be added from 2007. People who do not need passports or driving licences will be able to apply for a ?plain? ID card.

Trials of the technology to be used in the £3 billion scheme began today. In the pilot, 10,000 volunteers will have their face, iris and fingerprint details recorded in centres in London, Leicester, Newcastle and Glasgow or at a mobile unit visiting other parts of the country.

Initially, the cards will be voluntary, but a future Government is expected to decide whether to make them compulsory around 2013, by which time 80% of adults are expected to be carrying biometric ID already.

Any switch to a universal card would by made by an Order, subject to the approval of both Houses of Parliament, but new primary legislation would not be required, Mr Blunkett said.

He acknowledged that Parliament would only vote to make the scheme compulsory if it had shown itself to be effective in combating terrorism and other forms of crime.

Full Article

I personally don't have a problem with this, I went to a club on Saturday whereby I had to produce my birth certifcate, as well as a photograpihc bus card ID to proove that the birth certificate was indeed mine to verify that I was over 18,

An ID card would allow me to simply show it, and proove I am over 18.


I'm not going to loose any sleep worrying that some "government agent" might know what colour my eyes are. I think the only people complaining are those with nothing better to do, and whining that your "civil liberties" are being infringed is a typically predictable responce.
What civil liberties are going to be being infringed upon?
Perhaps your right to be an illegal immigrant and to use forged documents?

The argument against ID's does not hold much water at present, but that point is that should government ever really become tyrranical, all of that information would be available under one database. I think that's where the argument really lies.

In the U.S. we have a lot of very anti-government folks, usually white supremacists or militiamen, survivalists, whatever. In thier minds, government will always be tyrannical to an extent, (and I would agree to an extent) but I have seen no evidence to suggest that the introductio of a national ID would somehow stifle the rights of the individual, unless that individual had some sort of crimianl history. In that case, screw em. They'll have to lay in the bed they made.

I am on the lines of agreeing that those who fear I.D cards have something to hide.
I dont have a problem at all and would happily carry one.
I work in a debt department and there are a lot of crooks out there giving false I.D, addresses and phone numbers to obtain insurance fraudulently.
Just in our little dept we have seen over half a million pounds lost to our company through deception, cheating and lying.
Bring on the I.D, maybe there will be less places for people like that to hide....

Im for them so long as you dont have to have them for everything...ill be darned if i go to the store for milk and eggs and need a ID card.

Id Cards 'Will Protect Youngsters from Paedophiles'

Identity cards will help keep youngsters safe from perverts, Education Secretary Charles Clarke claimed today.

Cards containing personal information like fingerprints would make it more difficult to side-step checks, said Mr Clarke.

That was just one of the benefits of the controversial scheme, outlined yesterday, he was telling a Commons select committee.

The controversial move could also save money and stamp out fraud, his evidence to the Home Affairs committee shows.

In a written submission released ahead of this afternoon?s hearing, Mr Clarke wholeheartedly backs the scheme.

?I am very much in favour of identity cards not only because of the broad benefits to the UK such as tackling illegal working, preventing identity fraud and theft but because of the significant benefits that I believe that ID cards would bring the work of my department and its agencies,? he said.

Mr Clarke?s appearance before the committee comes after Cabinet colleague David Blunkett produced draft proposals yesterday.

People who refuse to register will not be jailed but face a fine of up to £2,500 under the Home Secretary?s plans.

Mr Blunkett said did not want to give opponents the opportunity to become ?martyrs?.

The draft Identity Cards Bill allows the creation of a National Identity Register of up to 60 million UK residents.

This will be linked to ?biometric? cards carrying features including facial recognition, iris images and fingerprints.

This biometric technology will be incorporated into existing identification documents, such as passports and driving licences.

The first documents with facial recognition are due in 2005, and fingerprint details are expected to be added from 2007.

People who do not need passports or driving licences will be able to apply for a ?plain? ID card.

Funding the introduction of the scheme will come from hikes in the cost of passports and driving licences.

A combined passport/ID card will cost an estimated £77, a combined driving licence/ID card £73 and a ?plain? card around £35. There will be concessions for the elderly and poor, with all 16-year-olds issued with their first card free of charge.

Full Article

You know whats really annoying. The same people who complain about ID cards are the same people who complain about tax increases.

Well if people werent able to cheat the system then maybe our tax wouldnt be so high. And if ID cards are a way to help reduce even that problem then thats another reason.

Plus if it saves even ONE child from a peadophile then im willing to give up a tiny amount of my liberties.

I don't agree with ID cards. I have "nothing to hide" as most people think, except my privacy. People have become twisted and abusive and are quick to generalise about those who do not agree with Tony Blair's dictatorship government. So far I tend to agree with the foreign posters on here about this. The whole cheek is we have to pay for it.


Imagine if they said it was law to stick a CCTV camera inside your house, people would say it was alright because they is nothing to hide. Okay, what about privacy? I don't like the idea of a future government holding everything about me for all to see. I also don't complain about taxes. If you agree with it, then fine. I'm no slave or domestic dog, and will never obey this government

I am inclined to agree with Nightmoon on this one.
I too have nothing to hide but I find the concept of compulsory ID cards an infringement of my civil liberties. In Britain we have enjoyed the proud reputation of walking around freely in our own country without the need to identify ourselves as being British citizens. Since Blair came to power those freedoms have been gradually eroded...We have to be careful what we say even. In our schools the 'thought' police operate...in our homes, children are encouraged to 'grass' on their parents...CCTV exists on every street corner...and so on.
If you agree with the idea of carrying ID cards then go ahead and carry one. But forcing everybody here to have one (and pay for the %**%$£* thing) is another ball game altogether.
It's going to happen anyway...But I ain't happy about it.
And vote NO to the EU constitution.
Vimjams

On reflection...

I didn't want to cause offence to anyone here but simply just those who call others names will get names called back. My teacher taught me to do this.

i dont mind the compulsary ID cards but i refuse to pay for them.

They should be free to start with & if you loose them then you should need to pay for them.

Here in America ID cards are not mandatory, but just try to function in society without one. If you cannot produce ID, the police can hold you until they determine who you are and check for warrants and the like. I don't see anything wrong with wanting to be able to verify someone's identity. I am pleased when I use my credit card and I am asked for ID. (rare) I think the benefits outweigh the small indignity of disclosing one's age and a few other details. The argument against the idea claiming loss of privacy is not valid. In order to live our day to day lives we disclose many things about ourselves as it is. ID cards would go a long way toward capturing criminals and twarting abusers of welfare etc. Look at the abuse of the Katrina funds due to the lack of ID cards.

Here in America, we must pay for driver's licenses and non-driver ID cards. That is just a fact of life.