Identity Cards: yes or no?

Isn't there a difference between that and the huge number of companies trading and doing VAT etc with adverts with recruitment agencies though?

Lots could be done in this area that isn't.

You need to give that last sentence a little more thought.

How would you stop someone paying £15ph for mowing their lawn? you'd have to ban cash and you'd need to give HMRC access to every single banking transaction.

Not declaring income over £1000 pa is already illegal but HMRC is struggling to even find landlords not declaring income.

ID cards could limit how easy it is for someone to be someone else to access public services & the authorities already have access to a multitude of databases.

Biometrics are already used in driving licences and passports

However, its not going to happen, the country has no money.

Yes, this level of trust in the Chinese regime is quite bemusing. It's a country where they've got internment camps for one of the more inconvenient ethnic minorities. Do posters really think they give a fuck if a few of the not many black people living there end up disadvantaged by something?

'must be accurate'

Why? China doesnt value the human lives of its citizens. There is no transparency. No transparency means no need for accuracy. Just a need to not have daily disasters.

Definitely not in Scotland with an SNP government.. everything they touch they fuck it up and obviously being an SNP government it would have to be different from rest of the UK.

But it never happens that way tho does it.

Eg smart motorways meant to be more efficient and safety built in with refuge areas. Until the cost cutting happened and they reduced the number of refugee. Causing unintended deaths.

So no ID cards for no real purpose - no thanks.
Plus it won't reduce immigration at all. It won't stop access to services. And it'll be open to abuse.

I think there is difference between the technology not being able to do something and the coding/skills of the inputs. I believe that we need to use the technology and use it appropriately to make people's lives safer.

Well I guess it's the coding that's the issue. And I don't trust that things would be done properly. They'll say it will but then costs will escalate and the correct coding won't happen.

Now if you're a white male life is much simpler. Things work for you. If you're not then it's. not quite right.
For something that's unnecessary I don't want to risk it.

I suspect it varies depending upon how AI is used. I can't see how if a country as large as China uses this for air travel and train travel then it must be accurate due to safety concerns

There's quite a bit of research on this now.
It's to do with the bias of the coders.

See also self driving cars where black or brown faces are mis identified as not prople at a greater rate than white faces.

Unless you have an eyesight condition precluding it, you could apply for a provisional driving licence. There's no requirement to try and learn to drive, and it's cheaper than a state issued ID card would likely be.

I would actually welcome this, although I'm probably in the minority. I don't have a current passport (haven't needed one as I've not travelled abroad for many years) and I don't have a driving licence as I don't drive (yes,I know,the ultimate Mumsnet crime!). Whenever I'm asked to provide photo ID,I have the same problem over and over again. I get thoroughly sick of being made to feel like I'm a non-person because I don't have a passport or a driving licence! An official,nationally recognized form of ID would be welcomed by me.

Bahahaha.
Quite.

Some of the stuff posted on this thread is mind-blowing.

I'm sure the Chinese government would be fully transparent about it if there were.

@Pinkfluffypencilcase
I disagree that facial recognition is racist. In say China facial recognition is used all the time and no such problems exist in mix ups.

They don’t but request govt id. Id cards are part of that

You know that facial recognition systems are racist?
They mix up black and brown faces. There was a fascinating programme about it. So who would be impacted adversely by this 🤔

Oh god, great comparison! I’d totally forgotten how crazy people were acting in Covid - there’d definitely be neighbours reporting on each other ‘999, I don’t think my neighbour has a valid ID card!!!’

Well indeed. Let’s rewind 4 and a half years to the hysteria on here about lockdowns, what was allowed, what wasn’t allowed, how often you could leave the house, what work was allowed, what shopping was allowed, who was allowed in your ‘bubble’ and indeed even what a ‘bubble’ was. Almost no-one, including most police forces, interpreted the rules correctly, legally, or as the government intended.

Now, overlay mandatory identity cards, with a police power to demand them at any time, in any place. And some emergency legislation giving every tin pot local Covid warden (remember them?) the same right. And the police the right to arrest anyone without theirs because ‘Covid’ and ‘emergency’. It would have been chaos.

The top 10 countries by number of CCTV cameras are:

1. China – 200 Million CCTV Cameras
2. United States – 50 Million CCTV Cameras
3. Germany – 5.2 Million CCTV Cameras
4. United Kingdom – 5 Million CCTV Cameras
5. Japan – 5 Million CCTV Cameras
6. Vietnam – 2.6 Million CCTV Cameras
7. France – 1.65 Million CCTV Cameras
8. South Korea – 1 Million+ CCTV Cameras
9. Netherlands – 1 Million CCTV Cameras
10. Australia – 1 Million CCTV Cameras

Hmm. Ok. If you say so. The above is interesting...

Countries where there is more surveillance and ID cards are safer. In my view this is an excellent use of technology.

I'd like an Id card. I don't want to go abroad anytime soon so no need for a passport and my driving licence is still a paper one.

I'm undecided about a DNA database but think everyone should have a microchip linked to your bank account and the NHS. Go shopping, wave your arm at a machine, Beep! paid for. No waiting for the person in front to be surprised they have to pay and start fumbling for payment.

Go into hospital Beep! all your medication and information is available. You are being discharged Beep! your new or change of medication is uploaded to the microchip. Wave your arm at your GP Receptionist and Beep! the new medication automatically amended on your GP surgery system.

It'd be used to profile... 'pre-crime' anyone?

Identity fraud exists now. The idea that ID cards would stop identity fraud rather than merely create a desire to commit more identity fraud and therefore more innocent victims who 'had nothing to hide' kinda baffles me.

I also would not want my dna etc in a system - can you imagine all the ways in which that could go wrong?

Within about 1 millisecond, the police would start trawling for familial matches.