Phil’s Diary - [Blog @ http://www.philsdiary.net/]
So, the government’s slowly getting it’s way on ID cards.
I’ve nothing against carrying ID, I’ve nothing to hide and I already carry some ID. But here’s a few thoughts specifically on this hair-brained scheme:
When was I last asked to prove who I was? Certainly not in the last week, nor the past month, in fact the last time was last summer trying to change some money to Euros before I went on hols. We needed ID if we paid by credit card, so instead we just took the cash from the bank and exchanged it that way. No ID needed. So surely to be useful our ID is going to need to be checked a lot lot more often. And who’d trust a bit of plastic, really need to tie in the biometric data stored on the card/central database. That’ll be a little intrusive, expensive and time consuming. But it’s needed otherwise it’s just another piece of plastic to carry around.
PS. Is a bank card really ID? If so, why isnt’ the government about to use Chip and PIN? And why doesn’t my driving license get me money from a cashpoint? I don’t know, but suspect the government wants more proof you are who you are… and as I’ve said, it’s not really about the card, it’s about the central DB.
So what about stopping terrorism. I’ve yet to hear a credible explanation of how it might do that. After all anyone can be a terrorist, on a whim, card or no card. And unless they start checking cards everywhere (roadblocks, entry to anywhere remotely public, including cinemas, concerts, stations, airports, shopping centres), they’re going to do precious little. And of course even if they do check cards everywhere, since when will that stop a terrorist?
Crime, how will it stop crime? Well the huge big nationwide fingerprint database will no doubt be quite handy afterwards (yes, you too can be on that DB even if you’ve not done a thing wrong), if the criminal was daft enough to leave prints. And even in that case, it stops absolutely nothing, and might possible make detection slightly easier.
Immigration? Well, if we have loads more checks then it’ll reduce the number of illegal immigrants working, but then I’m pretty sure the employers already know, they just turn a blind eye. So we’ll need more checks then, to make sure the employers don’t accidentally employee people they shouldn’t (inc. benefit fraudsters, oh that’ll require checking back with the central DB won’t it?).
Blimey that’s about it isn’t it? So what have we learned? Well, the card itself is a bit of red-herring. Doddle to fake on it’s own, and doesn’t really carry enough info, so actually what’s really behind this is a whopping big nationwide intelligence database, that all the government agencies can access.
But even that is completely useless, without.… yep, lots and lots and lots of checks.
And where will all that manpower come from? I mean they could check ID at all the places mentioned now, but they don’t… because it’s too hard.
I can see it now, a few years into the future we’ll all have cards, and every door and barrier will need a swipe to let us through, tracking when we leave the house, get in the car (and through the governments new nationwide networked number-plate recognition system…,) where we get out, the door we walk through at the restaurant, at the cinema, at work. Each time checking we’re allowed there, and keeping tabs and records to correlate and check back on.
But of course, who needs to swipe cards, that’d just be tedious.… let’s pop and RFID transmitter in it, save the swipe. Heck when it boils down though why bother with the card, let’s just embed the transmitter under the skin.
And that’s great, until something goes a little wrong and the DB gets something wrong, and suddenly you’re not supposed to be there (at best) or someone you’re not.
It may sound like I’m being a bit extreme, or hysterical, but think about it hard. How will a little bit of plastic really help in the situations above, and I mean in ways that doesn’t just catch out the really stupid criminals, but a nice fool-proof way that can’t be got around? In my mind I can’t see anyway without lots of checking people against the central DB everywhere they go. Yes it’ll be intrusive, but then RFID or embedding in us will make it all a little more transparent.
You’ve seen the Sci-Fi.… well it’s not a million miles away.
And the cost.… who cares? We’ve voted in the pillocks, sorry politicians (I knew it began with a P), who will push this through, and lets face it, every government plan that requires money has us paying for it… either way pay up the fee directly, or we pay it indirectly through tax. Doesn’t fuss me either way, but part of me wishes it were up front so I can see exactly how my money’s being wasted.
Anyway there’s my cynical, pessimistic view on this grand scheme. Answers on a postcard please if you can see how this scheme might stop terrorism/crime nice and simply without all the extra checks.
Posted by Phil on February 13, 2006 09:26 PM | Categories: Thoughts
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