WRITTEN ON May 28th, 2008 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Foundation of Trust, Identity, What do we want?
Alex sends report of an interesting breach in the damned wall of IDfrom Scotland’s Sunday Herald
CIVIL LIBERTIES campaigners have won a review of Scotland’s controversial microchipped entitlement card scheme. Ministers are to scrutinise the project amid fears that it is a “back door” to compulsory ID cards. Around one-third of Scots now have the plastic swipe cards, which are backed by a database and far-reaching legislation. Opponents insist that, while the programme may appear harmless, it is almost identical to the Home Office’s plans for a National Identity Register. Now the SNP has heeded the result of a Holyrood vote and pledged to reassess the scheme – entitled Customer First – to ensure it meets data protection principles.
Note that in Scotland the very hint of association with the Benighted ID Scheme is enough to taint their own – equally odious – project. Scotland rushed ahead with something ill-considered, but now it looks similar to the UK’s ill-advised project they’re having second thoughts. Funny how these things turn out…we’ll get t
Good for Scotland – although the “authorities” there were instrumental in the design of this scheme.
South of the Border, many of us already have these “Citizen” or “Entitlement” cards:
Without warning and without any reporting by the main-stream media or IT press, our new ITSO Bus Passes are actually “smart-cards.” Apparently they were planned as a stealthy way of rolling-out the ODPM’s “Entitlement Card” scheme:
First as concessionary travel permits; next to school children and students; then to cover all local facilities and benefits etc.
These cards and the supporting computer systems are designed to provide tracking, surveillance and “sanctions”… and space for “other applications.”
The cards have a “passport grade” digital photo, but unlike previous cardboard bus passes, they oddly lack the holder’s signature. They appear to be intended more for reading by machine rather than by humans. Also, without a signature, they are useless as a casual form of ID.
If the contact-less “chip” get “fried” by getting too close to the microwave, or even if the bus driver simply doesn’t like your face, you’re likely to be left in the rain.
Needless to say, our “English” bus-passes are not valid in Scotland or Wales.