Back to ID cards

A few hours ago, David Blunkett outlined in the House of Commons his plans for biometric ID cards for the UK, to be phased in via passports and then driving licences. The estimated cost per person has now risen from £40-odd to £77, so goodness knows what it will actually end up being (this is another public sector project - think of the escalation in costs of Libra, a project to put IT into the court system, as an example of how public sector projects have a habit of suffering from expenditure creep).

Blunkett says that cards won't be compulsory - but then says that compulsory cards are essential to combat terrorism etc etc. So which is it to be?

He says that "Only basic information will be held on the ID card database - such as your name, address, birthday and sex. It will not have details of religion, political beliefs, marital status or your health records." Well, that's a relief, eh?

But we're already into problem land. Having your address on a card that you in effect are compelled to carry means that when you're bag is snatched, the thief not only has your keys but also your home address: a charter for theft (this has happened to me more than once in countries requiring the carrying of national ID cards).

Blunkett also sells the scheme as a preventative for ID theft, but unfortunately fails to mention that the scheme would probably provide even easier ways to rob IDs. ID theft is mainly conducted by means of a varied range of posted communications. ID cards will inevitability be posted, but will by their very nature be trusted more than any other document, and so will be used with far greater ease as proof of identity. How often would a face-to-face encounter take place? Rarely: these days, transactions with others are increasingly conducted at a distance. The photo or the card itself will seldom seen by those asking for proof of identity. In countries using these cards, the ID card number becomes the key that opens all the required doors. Does he really believe that countries such as Spain don't suffer from identity theft?