[Grug]

That's scary.

Even old Johnny here in Aus has been stiring things towards a national ID card.

"Where's your papers? Don't have any?"
*Bang* - Shot in the head.

This is royal bs, if you guys get it through, it will be used as leverage in our government for putting it in too. ><
Goddamn the world is going to ****.

[Jetmech Jr.]

[Grug]

Everywhere else would be soon to follow, don't you worry.

It will be on your shores soon enough.

We can all be undiscriminantly and equally screwed in the arse together.

[Jetmech Jr.]

You're probably right

Until it is, I'll be laughing heartily at your misfortune. Followed by sobbing.

[aldo_14]

You're probably right

Until it is, I'll be laughing heartily at your misfortune. Followed by sobbing.

Are you in the US?  You pretty much (will) have them - http://news.com.com/House+approves+electronic+ID+cards/2100-1028_3-5571898.html

[SadisticSid]

I think swords would be more appropriate, don't you?

Maces, surely? Maybe Heseltine can make a cameo as Tarzan.

Let's not forget that the civil service will pick the cheapest, most inept company to actually implement a system with such enormously far reaching implications that the slightest technical **** up - and there will be MANY - mean that people will have their upgraded identities nicked or duplicated. This is probably a good thing for the rest of us, as a few horror stories will catch the public eye with greater effect than a decade of broadsheet diatribes ever will.

[Grug]

Ha Ha!

And
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=115984&region=7

[aldo_14]

I think swords would be more appropriate, don't you?

Maces, surely? Maybe Heseltine can make a cameo as Tarzan.

Let's not forget that the civil service will pick the cheapest, most inept company to actually implement a system with such enormously far reaching implications that the slightest technical **** up - and there will be MANY - mean that people will have their upgraded identities nicked or duplicated. This is probably a good thing for the rest of us, as a few horror stories will catch the public eye with greater effect than a decade of broadsheet diatribes ever will.

There was a quote from a Frank Dobson on that from a while back (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/14/id_cards_escape_scrutiny/page2.html);

But no one outdid Dobson in the use of hyperbole: "The IT systems companies...appear to be competing for the title of intergalactic rip off IT merchant of the decade," he said in defence of greater scrutiny of their work and charges.

"[They] have ripped off the public sector and the private sector time and again through their negligence, incompetence and stupidity," he said, using EDS and Siemens as examples.

Which is pretty evident of the governments problems and idiocy - they don't realise that a half baked scheme with no clear goals or targets is impossible to accurately plan.  They come up with bizarre combination utopia-dystopia plans, invite a cheapest-first tender process without being competent to validate the feasibility of that tender plan, and usually end up changing the goals midway through the scheme thanks to the latest tabloid ravings.  They simply refuse to face their responsibilities as planners in favour of a 5 minute plan and 5 year debacle. Cause the problem, ignore the blame - it's the New Labour way.

[Martinus]

At least we know the government is unwavering in something other than trying to bugger their fellow man.

[vyper]

Indeed, as the BCS has pointed out time and again this will be a technical nightmare. There is no set of well defined goals for the system (anti-terrorism... wait, it's fraud, no wait it's actually for entitlements, no wait it's for anti terrorism again), nor is there a clearly stated vision for it's operation (e.g. age of first use, etc).

In short, they're asking the impossible and already planning to blame the poor bastards who have to build it for it's inevitable failure.

[Flipside]

It's a get rich quick scheme, it would be interesting to see how many of the cabinet have 'connections' to IT firms that will amazingly be given huge grants of money to fail, thus, like Railtrack, requiring more huge grants of money.

[Grug]

I strongly believe that corruption in government is extremely high these days, they've just got smarter at elluding and dumbing the public down.

[karajorma]

If I were the company that won the tender I'd just take the money and move to Brazil.

If you're going to get the blame for ripping off the British public regardless of whatever you do then at least do it deliberately

[Grug]

Or use the money to fund an assault on parliment and take the government over?

Where was it I saw that the entire island of britain was converted into a massive prison of the world?

[aldo_14]

Or use the money to fund an assault on parliment and take the government over?

Where was it I saw that the entire island of britain was converted into a massive prison of the world?

BBC news 24?

[Grug]

BBC news 24?

Not sure. Might've been a post or something.

[redsniper]

Johnny English.
funny movie

[KARMA]

dunno, we are so used to id cards in italy that it's hard to understand the problem for us.
we have the standard id card, which is valid for all the ue, the passport (necessary only outside ue), 2 health cards (european and italian), driving patent (which worked as valid id document till few years ago), one to be entitled to vote, a facultative card with the fiscal code...not to mention all the id cards to access to private services which are, at least, your choice. Our identities are registered by so many public entities (not to mention all the private ones)....
well I have to admit that on the other hand we in Italy don't have the same religious approach to civil rights (unfourtunately)...
as an example we have for some more than 60 milions people many times the telephon interceptions by public forces than the whole US...

[Grug]

Johnny English.
funny movie

Aha, that's the one! LoL.
You get a big cookie.

So does Italy have a national ID card though?
The reason why it kicks up a big fuss for me is the possible ways it could be abused. If it gets to the point where if you don't have it on you then police can arrest you... It's just plain out a violation of what we're meant to stand for.

[aldo_14]

Italys' current Id card is not biometric or compulsary at the moment, AFAIK it's basically a photo and DOB (which isn't all that different from a passport).  One of the major concerns of the UK ID card scheme is the volume of personal information upon it, the issue of being forced to have to prove your identity, and crucially the technology issues; specifically, it'll provide a method of tracking movements via tracking card-check accesses (plus it has RFID for remote reading), and a system where it's easy to 'snoop' on peoples records (owing to a central database designed to facilitate this purpose; this is different from the likes of seperate passport and driving license registries, which have current legal and technical barriers to muck-raking).  There's also the issue that the legislation IIRC allows extensive and effectively arbitrary powers to alter the data required upon the card, etc, once passed.  And that the government wants to use the card to allow or deny services, such as NHS treatment, which has a massive impetus for discrimination.

Not to mention the financial aspects, which the government has refused to reveal (we're looking at billions of pounds in startup costs, at least £500m per year for the Home Office alone - the only figure the government has revealed - and god knows how much for other affected departments).