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National Identity Cards - UK
Introduction
The United Kingdom is on the verge of reintroducing the nationalidentity card. The card hasn't been in place since after WWII, and its use wasended by Winston Churchill in 1953. (Christian Science Monitor, 2001) Nowproposed in Parliament, the bill seeks to have an identity card issued to allresidents residing in the UK for 3 months or longer, who are over the age of16. David Blunkett, UK Home secretary has authored this proposal. The identityscheme is said to help ensure the fast and accurate identity of eachindividual. The token (a card) will be encrypted with biometric information onthe individual, to include: fingerprint, iris pattern data, name, addresses,and date of birth.
The originalplan, which originated after the US terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001, was toimplement the cards to counter terrorism. The plan then switched to use it forentitlement of government services. Opponents claim that the government isyet unclear of how exactly the card will help and what economic benefits willresult. (Goodwin, 2004) Provisions must still be decided for thoseindividuals with disabilities, and a more formal process must be implemented toensure that citizens may themselves access their data, and check for accuracy.(Kavanaugh, 2004) An entire infrastructure must be built for not only thebiometric engraving, but readers must also be installed in numerous locations. Currently,for instance, there is in place at major airports, including London's Heathrowairport, an Iris Identification System which allows passengers to cross borderswithout a passport. (Biometrics is not exactly a new technique, however, largesystems are not yet in place to deal with all that could possibly go wrong withit, and therefore affect the individual's privacy, as well as inaccurateinformation being portrayed. (Staedter, 2003)
Other Identification Systems
The Real ID Act
The US Department of Homeland Security seeks to draft regulations toenable sharing of information on national identification such as drivers'licenses between governmental agencies, and between states. Department ofMotor Vehicles will soon be required to share information such as drivinghistory. The drivers' license in most states in the US now contain the RFIDtag, a magnetic strip which stores an individual's personal records (McCullagh,2005)
Netherlands Identification Scheme 1939-40
The identification system in place in the Netherlands in 1939 enabledthe Nazis to quickly locate those they sought to destroy for radical racialcleansing. (Simon Davies, 2001) This is perhaps an extreme example, butconsidering the current terrorist regime, perhaps uses would include targetingthe radical Islamists to protect the free societies.
The US Green card for resident aliens
Also after WWIIin the United States resident aliens were required to carry cards, which at thetime were in fact, green. The cards contained information contained in theindividuals INS file, such as family information, financial information,education level, and all addresses. This was a way for the government to keeptrack of non-citizens, namely in effort to keep communism in check. (Vaid,2002)
The case for the national identity cards
According toTony Blair, prime minister of England, the fact that terrorists use thefreedoms granted to the Western world against us, is a reason for us to sparkintense interest in better identifying our own, so that we may seek them out,before they get us. National identity cards provide a way to locate peoplebelonging to certain groups more quickly. IThe zeal we put forth in our effortsto aggressively prevent terrorism will determine our success. It appears thatby not taking an active and aggressive role, that we are somehow encouragingtheir ideologies. And once they are infiltrated in this way, they becomeuncontrollable. (Zakaria, 2004) Overcoming protest concerning issuance of thenational identity cards must of course take place first and foremost. Oneway to help ease opposition, it is hoped, is by initially introducing the cardsas optional, to speed up wait times in lines, for instance, thus givingcitizens incentives to carry them.
The case against national identity cards
Opponents to the issuance of the national identity card fear thatcivil rights will be violated. The fact that the government has yet to come upwith a thorough detailed plan on how the IT infrastructure will be built, it'splans to troubleshoot efficiently and timely errors encountered in the newsystem, and the vagueness that exists concerning who exactly will have accessto the information have those against in rallying to keep it from becominglaw. The British Government began trials for biometric ID cards in May of2004. The trial involved 10,000 volunteers who recorded biometric data.Particular interest already as a result of the trial is the fact that not allpeople can register iris patterns so easily, if at all. Those with longeyelashes or watery eyes could get an improper reading. (White Rose, 2004)Issuance of identity cards alone cannot assure citizens a greater sense ofsecurity. It is argued that the proposed bill places much emphasis on theheightened security which the card will provide. Given the failures in therecent biometric ID trials, it is clear that technological advances and changesneed to be made to strengthen the accuracy of the biometrics put in place onthe cards. NEC technology has already been involved in the implementation ofsimilar schemes around the world, and insists that the UK rollout will alsosucceed. Opposition, however much a minority this opposition may be at the moment,currently 61% of the population are in favor, need be reckoned with (Whiterose,2004) The schemes in other countries, France for instance, are not provingfail-safe. There is still a struggle with illegal workers, illegal immigrants,and identity fraud. However, it must be said that no identity card system canpossibly be 100% effective as forgery will still exist to some extend, howeveradvanced the identification techniques may be. The point that should be madeis that with the worldwide heightened terror alerts today, unless it can beargued that the UK identification system can be proven to harm, then attemptsto initiate such an undertaking will most likely not be stopped.
Bibliography
Christian ScienceMonitor, 10/16/2001 Vol 93, Issue 225, P8
Davies, Simon,Daily Telegraph, 9/29/2001
Goodwin, Bill,Computer Weekly, 11/2/2004. P 21
Kavanaugh,Computer Weekly, 6/6/2004, P 58, P
McCullagh, Declan,National ID cards on the way? http://www.news.com,Feb 2005
Staedter, Iris,Iris Identification, March 2003, http//www.technologyreview.com/articles
Vaid, Vraski,Watching the Watchers, Advocate, 7/3/2002, Issue 868
Whiterose, 2004,Identity Cards, http://whiterose.samizdata.net/archives/cat_identity_cards.html
Zakarian, Fared,The Best Ways to Beat Terrorism, Newsweek Atlantic Edition, Vol 14, Issue 15, P17
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