Identity Cards: yes or no?

[Papyrophile]

Gerard Darminin, French Home Secretary equivalent, has said that the UK is making itself a migrant target because we have no national officially issued ID card proving entitlement.

I, a very ordinary citizen, already have an NHS number issued at birth, and a National Insurance number sent to me at 16, neither of which has changed. I also have a passport number, due for renewal next year, a driver's license and a Government Gateway number for my occasional exchanges with officialdom.

Why would anyone who has nothing to hide from the authorities prefer not to hold an official proof of identity?

In theory that would work, but I fear all those databases are not nearly as advanced as one might expect. They certainly haven't been in my experience.

The barrier isn't the technology, it is the will to make it happen.

Hope you’re being sarcastic. Hard to tell.

I live in a European country with ID cards and also have another ID card from South America. To be fair, I was sceptical to begin with, but now I understand it. It makes accessing services very straightforward and the system works well. In terms of cost, it's far better value than the UK! €25 for a passport (same day) and €10 for the ID card. The cost of a passport in the UK is a disgrace.

Having had an offspring recently have to prove identity without having a passport or bills etc and found it a right pain I'd welcome anything that made it more straight forward. Plus it would be something everyone could use at the polling station.

But only if it is free. I don't think those on lower incomes should have to pay to make the government's life easier.

have not RTFT. One of the main functions of Government ID in the countries that have it, is to show who you are and where you live. Other forms of photo id don't generally do that, or are easy to get fake/fraudulent ones.

It would make a lot of things much easier. My german friends in the UK are aghast at the idiotic (to them) forms of "ID" needed to open a bank accout. An ID card does the ob.

The cost of a passport in the UK is a disgrace.

Australian passports make them seem like a bargain.

I don't live in the uk. We have to carry compulsory id cards. Its really not an issue

Why would anyone who has nothing to hide from the authorities prefer not to hold an official proof of identity?

Lots of very sensible reasons that have mostly been vindicated by history. I don’t know. I was vehemently opposed to ID cards when the Blair government tried to introduce them. Ideologically, I still am. But the world has changed, and I think they might be the only practical way to deal with the threats we face now- both in the physical world from terrorism, and online from fraud, child exploitation and so on. The main thing that worries me about them now is the risk of the government fucking it up and making things like identity theft even easier, whilst simultaneously making it harder to recover from.

ID cards would make it so much easier for the police - law abiding citizens have nothing to fear. In my view they should be provided for free - unlike passports so everyone has one. I would also help with regard to illegal immigration as those people who were not here legally would not have an ID card.

@Pinkyponki , that is just daft. We have poached and borrowed good practices since forever. Our population, on the voting for this thread, does believe that an ID card is sensible. In my mind's eye, it's on your phone not taking up any space.

Yes, you passed your driving test and have no points on your licence.
Your vehicle is MoT'd and insured, and you've paid road tax.
You are xx years old and fine to buy a bottle of wine.

You are registered to vote in your constituency.

Your NHS # is and you are diabetic Type 1 and allergic to penicillin, which could save your life in an ambulance.

Your tax is paid to date and you have no CCJs outstanding.
Your next of kin/emergency contact number is........

The technology to grant limited necessary access to databases is available, and it could make most of the routine aspects of life smoother, and the emergencies easier and more fluent.

Sorry, I'm 68.

But I embrace technology and what it can and should be doing to make life easier. I worked from home since 1990, and I am extremely cautious about my digital presence. I also shred every single piece of post that has my name and address on it before I recycle it.

I think it would be good for people that can't have a driving license, or afford a passport. And it should be voluntary.
But I would be against it being law to have them on your person at all times. That is crossing a line, to me.

I don't disagree with any of that @XenoBitch . But in reality, it will be on your phone so you will have it on you almost all of the time. That's just how the tech is

No problem with an ID card.

Every problem with the database they wanted to put behind it last time it was tried. Remember we had a scheme and the coalition repealed it.

Stupidest decision.

Not everyone has a smartphone. I have one, but it is very old and I wont have any apps on it that have sensitive data like banking or medical stuff on it.
You can't force someone to have a smartphone.

Of course not, and nor would I want to force a smart phone on anyone. I enjoy the elegance of the technology and think myself smart enough to dodge most of the scams, but it doesn't live in my hand. I also use all the two tier security authentication security protocols.

I am 68, but I have used a PC every single day of my life since I was about 27. My DC is better at tech than I am, but now I learn... again. It is very different for much older people, my late DM and DMIL never really understood digital anything, and I am not sure DBIL does either if what he did to my kettle is any guide to his competence.

They had them during rhe war