ID Cards

Associate
Joined
28 Jun 2005
Posts
895
I was just thinking today about ID cards and wondering how they will work?
I can't see the point in having an actual card.

If you present your card, it presumbably has a photo on it so they can check that. They could then take your finger prints or scan your retina or something and check it against what is on the card.
Only problem I see is that you could potentially fake the data on the card, say you steal Joe Blogg's card and add your biometric data on to it.

But there is some central database so that they can check the data you give them with the card and the database? The card just seems redundant in this process as you can't trust the data on the card so you query it with the database. So all you need to do is to take your finger or retina with you where ever you go (something that is quite easy to forget) that they are checking and scan it and check with the database right?

Is the card simply there to make it socially more acceptable to put all our biometic data into a central database? Clearly if we were told voluntarily to provide finger prints many people wouldn't (as with the cases when police ask for DNA tests in a local area). Many people would be concerned with their privacy and not what it stored. So is the card simply a way to get the general public to 1) pay for the scheme and 2) willing hand over their biometric data because they are rewarded with a fancy card?

I'm just struggling to see the point in it at the moment and the website doesn't tell you much apart from how wonderful it is and how much money was lost to benefit fraud.

|Ric|

p.s. This is more general interest for me so I posted it in to general discussion. Whether it is better placed in Speakers Corner I don't know ?!
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Aug 2003
Posts
3,399
Location
Gillingham Kent
I think it would be a good idea if every new born had its DNA put onto a database. Now asthe rest of us die out soon everyone would be on this database. Anyone commiting crime and leaving dna samples are easily recognised. The only ppl who dont want ID cards etc are the criminals. If you have nothing to hide then you wouldnt mind having one
 
Associate
Joined
23 Nov 2003
Posts
755
gary996 said:
The only ppl who dont want ID cards etc are the criminals. If you have nothing to hide then you wouldnt mind having one

UH OH can of worms open :p

I don't want one, I have plenty to hide, not a criminal though. If anything criminals will welcome ID cards, makes fraud so much easier for them.
 
Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
448
Location
stoke on trent
Gary can I suggest that you actually do some research on what ID cards will actually mean to the average person before you spout tripe like that. Or at least back up what you're saying with some reasoning behind it. I don't think any decent person would want criminals to get away with anything, but the cards will do little other than give the government complete ownership and control of decent citizens.
 
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