Comments on: ID Cards Second Reading

By: melissa

melissa — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 12:41:25 +0000

As ever, thank you Prophet Colin

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By: colin whyles

colin whyles — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 11:17:12 +0000

The more I think about ID cards, the more ridiculous and pointless they seem. If I hand my card to someone who wants to check my identity, tehy might be able to plug it into a device that can access the central database and compare the data on the card with the data in the central database. That proves that the card is valid. But what proves it is my card? The only thing left is to compare the photograph with me unless they can do the DNA testing or iris scans or facial recognition stuff.

As we’ve discussed, most of the people an ID card would be useful for (banks, car hire, insurance, etc) will not be allowed or able to do this. What we will have is the most expensive photographic ID card in the world.

And the card will have more validity than the holder.

Barmy.

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By: Stuart Kirkham

Stuart Kirkham — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 11:30:17 +0000

ID cards will not prevent crime or stop terrorist attacks, one iota. Criminals and terrorists will be able to forge ID cards. No, they are just another means of Government control via Brussels. Blair knows this but, as always wants to be seen doing something even if it doesn’t work.
Stuart.

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By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:53:15 +0000

Colin there is no doubt whatsoever that you are a BB or a CC – Brain Box – Clever Cloggs. It isn’t every day you get quoted in a national paper.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR QUOTE IN THE DAILY TELEGRAPH TODAY via this site – watch it all of you …. it was Vicus who scored highly last time …now it’s colin whyles …the magic of blogging

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By: colin whyles

colin whyles — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 20:46:21 +0000

There are too many unanswered and probably unanswerable questions about ID cards. For example, putting data into a computer is one thing. Removing it is quite another; a simple example, for my own company we have a database for invoicing our customers, like many others. Sometimes a customer tells us they have changed address. Then what do we do? If we change the address on their current record then the address on all previous invoices of theirs changes, making them wrong. If we create a new record then their customer ID changes and our database gets ever fatter.

When will records, which by the nature of biometric data will be huge, be removed from this wretched database? When I die? Probably not, because they will argue that they might want to see posthumously if I had committed a crime. We know that evidence sometimes links people to crimes many years after their deaths.

It is in our nature that once we have information we are reluctant to destroy it. I have a room full of compute disks I will never use again, but I cannot bring myself to destroy them – just in case…

Another issue is how this data will help each and every one of us. In principle I have no objection to having something (cheap and simple) to prove my identity. If I hire a car I have to prove my identity. Will every car hire company have the technology to read these cards? It only makes sense if they do, but I understand they won’t. Will the Post Office? If yes, what’s the difference?

Something inside me does object to a piece of plastic having more authority than my flesh and blood does to identify me. And then, when my flesh and blood is busy rotting away, where will my card be? What petty criminal will be carrying it as the ideal, technologically perfect identity theft tool?

At the point of use of these cards, unless they can scan all of the biometric data from the person in front of them and compare it with the card, a process that apparently takes some 25 minutes, the card will not prove the identity of the holder in any case. Only the photograph is likely to be useful. When I worked at BT many years ago we had photograhic passes. It was known that someoe had covered theirs with a picture of Michael Jackson but he was never challenged; people never look that closely and if the picture looks different then they assume that the person has changed their hair, glasses, put on/lost weight, etc.

If the usual IT integration culprits (a large Texan company) is used for this project I am quite certain it will never work satisfactorily. They are renowned in the industry for obfuscating their code to ensure that only they can maintain it. This enables them to get contracts extended indefinitely because when it does not come to fruition it is impossible to remove them and get someone else in.

On that note we should be asking why so many Pounds Sterling are sent out to be converted to Dollars by this company that pays little or no taxes here.

All in all, the ID card proposal is ridiculous. I just cannot see a burglar leaving his card at the crime scene, so how will it reduce crime? When the Government makes that claim, they are not referring to the crime that affect people, only crime that affects the Government (which is only indirectly us) such as benefit fraud. But as I said earlier, if the point of use of the card cannot do DNA testing it doesn’t actually prove anything.

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By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:56:33 +0000

I hope you sleep better Mac

Would be great to read the next section – as in… suddenly you invest in wellies and Mr Sandman appears and helps you weave a tale of deep, deep sleep

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By: Macarnie

Macarnie — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:54:06 +0000

Fleas in beds: now there’s the novel explanation to my question on the inability to sleep well during the summer months.’ Camel fleas’,perhaps not the exact description , but probably close enough. I had been worried that the humidity was a tad high.Is it really global warming that is to blame for tis upsurge in temperature? Is mankind the vandal in the woodpile? Semper PC ! Be that as it may; in view of the poor forecast for tonight, I offer:—————————————————
Is there a legal method;
To keep your cool at night,
To cure the dread insomnia,
Ere dawn can show its light?
I confess I’m not an ardent fan,
Of close and muggy weather,
It brings me, oh so very close,
To the limits of my tether,
It keeps me from enjoying
My much-needed beauty sleep
And I’m really sick and tired
Of counting endless bloody sheep.
I’m not a lover of the ovine species,
Neither have I claimed to be.
I’m not a Welshman: I’ve no wellies:
I’m just totally sheep free.
So roll on blooming autumn;
Blazing leaves with awesome hues
And I mean those on the palette:
Not those awful Romney ewes.

There is an addendum, which I will keep up my sleeve.

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By: C Scoltock

C Scoltock — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:14:21 +0000

Ok scaryduck, lets agree to call it quits. Big Brother could be watching us soon..

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By: Psimon

Psimon — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 20:06:42 +0000

Yet another example of why party politics is un-democratic, methinks. If MPs had voted how they truly thought, or, at least, reflecting the views of their electorate (I know, i know…that’s how it’s supposed to happen)the whole bill would have been out the window months ago. Sadly, liebour MPs seem far too keen on obeying their fuhrer. May their beds be filled with the fleas of one thousand camels!
(

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By: Scaryduck

Scaryduck — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 15:34:49 +0000

Fair enough, but the proof-of-age-in-pubs argument is rather beside the point of the whole human rights surveillance state-me-do thing.

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