On Fri, 20 May 2005 13:28:03 +0100, mike wrote:

Mary Fisher wrote:


There may be financial benefits. You don't know until it's tried.

Mary


There may, but the proposed scheme is a massive centralisation. History
suggests that massive centralised databases will be compromised. If
this ones does wouldn't indentity froud become easy?

There is another horrific scenario: Let's assume for the moment that
the ID card is a done deal, it's here, it's supposedly foolproof, the
entire population is so equipped. (Okay, bit of a tall order to
stretch the imagination this far - think of it like giving birth).

Now, numerous organisations, banks, for example, will say, why do we
need to provide our own costly means of verifying a person's bona
fides if the government card represents the best method there is? Some
hrrumphing in smoke-filled rooms, and the solution's simple. The ID
card will henceforth be the only accepted form of identification for
any financial transaction, including mortgages, credit cards, debit
cards, cash from ATMs, whatever.

Meanwhile, in other areas of life the ID card is replacing other forms
of ID, again on the basis that it is wasteful to duplicate stuff
unnecessarily - and also a potential threat to security. After a while
we could end up with - just - one ID card for EVERYthing, from the
cradle to the grave (or concentration camp).

And then the terrorists strike. Or a glitch occurs in the main
computing centre. The entire verification process grinds to a halt. No
one can process anything. The country is paralysed maybe only for
minutes, but maybe for hours or even days. Remember the Auckland, New
Zealand power outage in 1998 after a main cable was severed? It lasted
for several weeks.

The government here would have to bring in emergency measures so that
the public could function somehow (get money, visit hospitals, obtain
medication, use public transport, fill up their cars, and so on).
Moreover, such a valuable piece of identification would be like gold
dust to any would-be thief. Think mugging might stop? Try: mugging
increased by 10,000 per cent!

However, I don't want to put the wind up anyone. It might never
happen. It might just work like the Shangri-la imagined by those
steeped in apathetic complacency.

MM