ID cards

Well in the UK news recently, there's been a lot of stuff about ID cards and a national database of Biometric data (fingerprints, DNA and retinal scans)

Basically they want to make it compulsary for us to carry ID cards wherever we go and they also want to keep a complete record of everyones' biometric data.

I'm curious about peoples' opinions on this sort of thing.

sounds like a gr8 idea to me, might sort out the asylm seakers too

Big Brother is watching!!!

lol! I wondered how long that comment would take to appear on this thread!

I'm with nucleo on this one, although I'm not gonna support his assylum seekers point unless he clarifies it!

I don't see a problem with handing over my fingerprints and dna. The number of crimes that could be solved just using forensics would be incredible.

I think its a excellent idea, having to type in a pin number when you buy something is a good idea aswell. as my signature is so easy to fake and if someone got hold of my card they wouldnt have a problem forgeing it! lol

The uk crime rate is going up and up and hopefully this will do something to stop the increase.

I read somewhere that there have been problems with the eye scans as some peoples eye lashes are to long! lol

no matter what people do to curb crime, there will be a way around it

I'm not in the UK, but I can tell you that it really helps. My parents are in the military and we are stationed in Germany, and they have us on file, with ID cards and all. They scan everyones card at the gate, and their devices show pictures of each of us, all of our information, life story (basically) and it really makes it easy to keep track of everyone. I think it would be a great idea for more countries to do it.

But eh...um..."No step in the right direction [of violating privacy] is too small". or something like that.

So how long untill we all get really cool barcode tattoos

lol.
Yeah, I think that it is a pretty good idea, but I worry how soon we end up in a world like Equilibrium (its a movie, if you havent seen it, see it, if you dont own it, buy it, if you dont want to do either, SHAME ON YOU!!!). I know its a little far fetched, but........... everyone sure thought cars and computers were far-fetched ideas 40 years ago. Whatever, it sounds pretty good overall.

Sounds a little out of 1984 or Gattaca.... I can see u sliding ur ID # through the screen and it shows INVALID. U know, Id lend u my identity if u want, its not very good so I'll trade it for some tin foil.

you wouldn't be an invalid would you nego?

You see I don't get that. If someone has some of my dna on file and a record of my fingerprint, how does that violate my privacy? Maybe they will use some of my dead hair, and flakes of my skin on the fingerprint to brew a magic potion that will make their unwitting slave? hmmm? What private things can they know about me from my freakin iris?

If someone wants to start inserting cameras in my house or recording everything I do, then yeah thats violating my privacy, and I'll be doing some camera inserting of my own (it'll have to be a night vision on e to see anything tho).

I ain't got nothing against fingerprints but DNA is a major problem in my opinion. Your DNA can reveal all sorts of information about you, and in the wrong hands it is a major violation of someone's privacy.

From your DNA, someone can build an almost complete picture of you, who you are, what you look like, etc. etc. But more worrying is that things in your DNA can mean you are more likely to get ill with cancer or something, and that is information you don't want in the hands of your insurance companies.

How often would you be required to present the card for authentication? Would you have to carry it at all times? What would happen if you forgot it and it was demanded? With each new terrorist attack would not the demands become more stringent? What about the inevitable errors (for example, the people in the US whose names are mistakenly on the "no-fly" list).

A national id card system offers no security against terrorists who have no prior record (most of the 9/11 terrorists entered the US legally for example, and at least 12 of them acquired valid driver's licenses).

Also, any card system would only be as good as the verification used to issue the cards - if a person can forge a birth certificate used to get one then why can't a terrorist with a record obtain a valid id with forged documents if their bio information is not already in the system.

A national id card system would easily allow people to be tracked every time they used the card to authenticate themselves. If your movements can be constantly tracked by the government, how free are you?

A national id card system would seem to greatly expand the police powers of the state with dubious security gains and might create a false sense of security since anyone with an id would presumably be "safe" - but just because someone hasn't done anything yet doesn't mean that they won't in the future.