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ID Cards

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Tha-Flash | 18:00 Sat 03rd Feb 2007 | News
24 Answers
Hi everyone

I'm doing a presentation on privacy and security.
I would like to get your opinions on whether or not ID cards being introduced is for the better or worse.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having ID Cards?




I appreciate your responses :)
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I would have more faith in ID cards if I felt the government had any success with their other projects.

Things like the CSA, removing asylum seekers, the NHS computer system, removing foreign criminals, controlling our borders, the list goes on.

Honest people will get their card and carry them round with them all the time.

Dishonest people and illegal immigrants will get stolen cards or forged cards, or not carry a card at all, and if they get stopped will run for it, or shot or stab the policeman.

Even if someone is found with a stolen card, or a forged card, they will not go to prison because they are all full.

We have a history of incompetent government schemes (although this current lot are the worst), so it will not have the desired effect, and it is doomed to failure
If an ID card was linked to just one huge secure database I would be in favour. Having your details stored at many locations such as Job centres, Income Tax dept, Hospitals, Doctors Surgeries etc just to name a few is highly inneficient and liable to hacking.
Agree with kwicky - If run efficiently, and with honest and integrity, then why not? But that trust thing is bothersome.
I would carry one, the problem is even if it became law, what would the police do with people who dont have their ID cards with them, and there would be plenty, it would take up far to much police time checking every one, what penalties could you dish out for someone who has just forgotten it.
Hmmm, i think ID cards are a waste of time. The wrong people will still be employed (as nowadays it doesnt go off education it goes off ethnic selection) and the system will be abused and probably end up doing more damage than good.
If anything they should go for the microchip implant as soon as you are born. That way, they can put detectors up any place they like and get an update of you as you pass one. Anyone without a chip should be made to register and one implanted. (i know the wrong people could still be employed, but it will be a lot harder to forge than a card).
But that is just one of my idealistic views. My time of power will come...
The daftest anti argument is that they can be forged. So can Passports and money and credit cards and driving licences, let's do away with them all ? I carry one and it makes life easier. For a start it's more difficult for Kids to buy booze. {No not impossible,nothing could make it that,just less easy.} I live in Belgium.
I dont think ID cards would have any effect on countering terriorism. Personally I have no objections to having one, I feel if you have nothing to hide then why should you be worried. I have heard about the cost of them and how we might have to pay but if they were free I would have no hesitation in having one.
The big disadvantage is the fact that we will have to pay for them.

Much better to issue them free as they did during WW2, they were a lot less sophisticated then, than they could make them today, but they worked as did the German ones in occupied Europe.

Make everone register for one and then make it very difficult to go about your everday business unless you were carrying it. Just as it is now, if your company makes you carry theirs.

If they save one evil muslim terrorist from killing one decent English person, then I do not mind paying evn a thousand pound for it.

However, I believe the money would be better spent (and maybe save more lives) if we had a driving card which has your driving license, insurance, tax and MOT all in one and an enforced law that it must be carried by all drivers at all times. To enforce this, all Police Officers, traffic wardens, PCSO's, car park workers and highways officials have access to the records.

Most adults have a car or access to one, so perhaps this will do the trick. No drivers card, you get arrested.

Why would Human Rights and muslim supporters be against this? I see no argument.
I don't really understand how ID cards are going to help? But I don't think that the best way to introduce them is to make it compulsary when getting a passport as it makes it even more expensive, anything that the government want to make compulsary should be free, that way they have control over who gets them (ie everyone) there are many people who perhaps should have one and get out of it by just not getting a passport! Also, why should someone who maybe just needs a passport to travel insode europe pay the price for something where the only other place it is going to have any use is America?
I still say they should do the microchip implant...
The problem with the ID card is not that it's a card with your name on but it's also supposed to tie into a database with every piece of info the government has on you.

A database to cover every individual in the country and it's to be accessible by a list of departments, agencies and third parties that increases every week.

For the card to be even nearly as useful as the government claims, eg against terrorists, illegal immigrants, criminals, benefit cheats etc etc it would need to be an absolutely essential part of our every day lives. Indeed, the government have said it would be needed to claim benefits and to claim medical treatment which is just for starters.

One risk of having this card as proof of indentity is that people might start trusting it too much. When someone clones one, and they will, no one will question the cloners ID card. There is the very real possibility that the owner of the genuine card gets accused of doing things that the card cloner has done and there'll be no escape because it's all in the database so it must be true.

What happens if you lose your card? You effectively cease to exist. The police could confiscate your card, to prevent you fleeing during an investigation say, rendering you an un-person.

It's not that ID cards are a bad idea it's what the governent wants to do with them that is down right scary.
Fortunately the goverment have no clue about the technology involved and couldn't organize a ****** in a brewery (CSA, NHfIT, Home Office etc etc) so I don't think we have anything to worry about other than the fantastic amount of money they'll waste on it failing.
how exactly are the cards going to stop terrorism?
and in response to brionon- i'm 17 and it's dead easy to buy alcohol whether you have ID or not. and fake ID is also easy to come by.
what do they need all this info for? to track where we go, what we do etc. and what if the BNP get in power? they'd just round up everyone who isn't white and try to chuck them out the country.
also, the database is going to get infiltrated and peoples identities can easily be stolen.
you know hitler made everyone carry ID cards. wasn't a good idea now or then.
I've never been surprised that people in 1930s Germany voted for the Nazis, because I see the same attitude all around today. Those people who support ID cards would have supported the Nazis back then, and they're fooling themselves if they think otherwise. The lessons of history are never really learnt, are they?
they've introduced photo id cards in my place of work and they asked if we were prepared to have our photo's taken for it and as far as i am aware i'm the only one who said no to this. i was told that i wouldn't be even able to get in the carpark let alone the building but as i bring a colleague in each day we get in together. so what's the point? i'm totally opposed to id cards and as it has been stated they don't work. look at spain, they've got them but etta still blow up things don't they. privacy is another issue and id theft. the government have a lot to answer to for the problems that we now have and they want us to fork out more money for their own incompentences
Milky , What if the BNP got in ,they'd just round up everyone who's not white--- what are you on about ? Not White !!! They won't need ID cards will they ?
You don't live in a land with Compulsory ID cards so how do you know they wouldn't help stop Kids buying Booze?
And lastly the 'Hitler argument' --Hitler Breathed !! Better stop doing That then.
I think the people that object have or intend to have something to hide. It is unfair that we should be forced to pay for them but if it's not a direct fee then you can guarantee it'll be funded via some other form of taxation!

When are you standing for election Mr. Ben? I like the microchip theory, just not totally convinced it's workable
"one huge secure database"

I don't trust this government or any of their IT contractors to get anything right, let alone produce a secure system that cannot be abused.

"I think the people that object have or intend to have something to hide"

How clever!! A simple way to round up all the current crims, and also potential criminals!! Propose an ID card scheme and arrest all those that object!! I despair when this argument is used.
I think the most telling comments are those made by Stella Rimington ex head of Mi5.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4444512 .stm

Incidently I can't wait for the "Nothing to hide, nothing to fear" crew to pick up their first fixed penalty notice for being out of the house without their ID cards!

They'll be on here whining about it like a shot - just like they do speed cameras!

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