I was asked my views on identity cards, I thought I'd blog my response here on my blog:

I am opposed to ID cards and the National Identity Register (NIR) because I believe we should have a choice about who holds personal information about us and about how much information they have. I fundamentally disagree with any compulsion to provide biometric information which is equivalent to a national DNA database.

The introduction of ID cards and the NIR plays on a perceived need - ‘an easy and secure way for legal UK residents to prove who they are’ according to the Home Office website. But most of us have plenty of ways of proving who we are already. We have a national insurance number, passports, driving licences, bank cards, credit cards, utility bills, council tax bills, bank statements, mortgage statements, travel passes, trade union membership cards.

Originally the scheme was supposed to be voluntary, however, as plans for implementation are outlined, elements of compulsion are creeping in. This is starting with non-EU nationals, then people working in ‘sensitive’ occupations and could well encompass the rest of us as and when we need to renew a passport or driving licence.

If we need to crackdown on illegal working, then we should be tackling the employers who are using low paid, ‘cash-in-hand’ labour first. All other employers should already be asking for sight of an original passport before issuing an employment contract, even for temporary or agency work. Asylum seekers already have to carry ID cards.

I think there are massive data protection issues to be addressed and the concentration of so much personal information in one place is a worry, especially when Government departments have a poor track record of data security in recent times. If identify theft is a concern, the creation of an NIR with all of our information in one place is too high risk.

I am concerned at the high cost of the scheme, which is estimated to be around £5bn. I can think of better ways to spend this money such as tackling child poverty, fuel poverty or investment in healthcare, childcare, education or public transport. Investment that would deliver real and tangible benefits for taxpayers.

There is no evidence that ID cards will cut crime and terrorism; in fact, this has not happened in European countries that have implemented such a scheme. Having more data about more people won’t tell us who is going to commit crime. It will tell us about previous convictions, however, we already have a system that does this. We know that ID cards would not have stopped the London bombings.

Some people say, ‘why be opposed to ID cards unless you have something to hide – what have you got to lose?’. My answer is always, my privacy, my liberty and my right to myself.

Tags: Identity Cards

Posted on March 3, 2009 in Privacy and ID Cards.