ID cards

[hunkermunker]

Well? Anyone still want to defend them? Because they "prevent terrorism" - yeah, right!

No?

I've got my name on the waiting list for one already, want my N.I number tattoed onto my forhead too

WMF

Have you upped your overdraft limit to pay for the ID card?

To be serious now, if the cost implications weren't so drastic i would not mind at all, i know some people go on about 'big brother' will be watching them, but they will prob be same people who were screaming why wasn't big brother watching Ian Huntly (sorry to be playing devils advocate here)

But how does an ID card help? How would it have prevented the terrorist bombings in London? Or Ian Huntley, for that matter.

I don't want to be made to carry a card that allows me to exist legally in this country.

Cos all the data that was not being shared by the authorities that let him slip through the net would be linked to the card and the school would have known he had an unsavoury past immediatly, also it could be used to target benefit fraud, health tourists and all those other things that drain our national resources (whether they are used for these ends is another matter)

Before this goes any further may i say that i really am playing devils advocate and have really no strong feelings either way on the matter

i want to oppose them but i fear i have not got a reasoned argument and would appreciate any other views one way or the other.

i reckon that we are identified anyway with our NI number - so dont really see the point in them i dont think it would prevent anything becuase you are talking about civil servants and paperwork and we all know they dont bode well together.

I can't work out what they're for? I mean, just why?

WMF - I think there's only been one proven case of health tourism prosecuted by the NHS. And that was with a very righ businesman!

Or rich businessman even! Sorry hunker

last week i went to open a bank account. my phone bill was accepted as proof of my address, but not as proof of my name (why? my name was right there above my blasted address?!!), i dont have any of the acceptable forms of 'name' id! no passport, drivers license still shows my old address (oops), no notification of tax code from the IR etc! so i sent off my licence to be updated. but wait - they dont change paper licences anymore, i get a letter back saying i need to get a photo licence, heres the form. i have had to go get photos done (these will keep the kids away from the fire folks - i mean....yuk!). but wait - i have to prove that the photo is me - by someone in an 'accepted' profession who has known me for over 2 years. i am 200 miles away from anyone who has known me 2 years who isnt a family member. so i have to get my photos down to where i used to live to get them signed. so now they are signed. but now i have to send some MORE id, with the signed photos. what is acceptable that is the easiest for me to get? birth certificate and marriage certificate. so now i have to write to registrar and pay for copies of both. so now i have copies of both, i can send them with my now signed photo, get my photo licence, go back to the bank and open an account.

ARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

and the requirements for proving who you are for rent agreements, or mortgages, or car loans, or anything at all are just as much of a farce as this! so roll on id cards i would have said - sure would have saved me a bucket load of hassle!!!!! at least you only have to go thru the process of getting one once and then every time you need to do anything like the above, you are sorted, they dont need anything else - otherwise you have to go do anything with 42 different forms of id submit to a dna test and drag your mother with you to swear under oath that she gave birth to you!

BUT. i just heard the government are planning to sell all the info that will be held on our cards for £750 to anyone who wants it!

WTF???!!!!!!!!!!!!

what's the price of them now?

and is it complusary u have to buy them cos unless they say they'll fine me i'm not spending out £300 or whatever the latest figure is per card for me and DH esp as we only £800 each, have bills to pay and i'm PG they can sod off.

We've had this discussion recently haven't we? Civil liberties and other groups agree id cards won't do anything to combat terrorism or prevent benefit and other fraud. So why have them? They will cost a lot of money and serve no purpose. So I can't see an argument FOR them tbh.

here's the old thread

i've had one since i was 12. then when i moved to the uk it became invalid after 3 months and i felt i had literally lost my identity. proving who i was became a lot more difficult.
but... apparantly they changed the ID cards in belgium to contain more 'scary' info, rather than just a foto, name, dob, address and sex. if my card would have to include dna, fingerprints, social security info etc i wouldn't like it.
as for them preventing terrorism... how many countries that have id cards have had recent terrorist attacks?

I'm not opposed to ID cards if I knew they could be used to stop identity fraud. I've always found the idea that they could prevent terrorism laughable.

I'm very concerned about the amount and type of data our government want these cards to hold and so would favour an ID card that is basically just name, photo, DOB, - I'm not sure how other countries stop fake ID cards.

Alos, are there many other countries who have ID cards containing biometric data?

I dont see the problem with carrying an ID card... many peopel in the UK already do as a part of their job.... police/army etc, so why not? I dont think it will combat terrorism in any way shape or form, but will reduce identity fraud.

So they will be totally unforgeable? And no identity fraud will occur after they're introduced? Well, much as I'd love to believe that, we live in a country that can't even mend the roads, so I don't believe it.

Doesn't bother me - wouldn't object to carrying one. Object to paying for it though - why should we pay for something that is forced upon us?

I don't see how it would stop terrorism. Police and intelligence agencies know about around 700 terrorists living in this country and are powerless to do anything about it anyway.

I hate the whole idea that I would have to carry it too, at all times, presumably. People can prove they are who they say they are in many ways atm, we just don't need an id card imo. For what? It won't stop terrorism, it won't stamp out identify theft, it won't identify us any more than our NI no/passport/driving licence/NHS medical card already does and it'll cost billions in tax pounds (I nearly typed dollars there, don't know why!). Totally unnecessary and a waste of money.

It won't stop terrorism. I doubt it'll stop identity fraud. And whilst I don't have anything to hide, I don't want to have to prove that - it smacks of being guilty till proven innocent IMO.

Is it really such a hassle to carry a card around in your purse along with your credit card, ATM card, switch card, library card, assorted loyalty cards and donor card?

I don't believe we should have to pay an extortionate amount of money for something that is compulsory though.

No, it's no hassle, unless they make them of radioactive material. But I don't want to be forced to carry ID on me. I am law-abiding. Some people aren't, but why should I be forced to prove I am? Like I say, guilty till proven innocent.

And we will have to pay an extortionate amount of money, unless on benefits, I assume (no problems with people who need to be on benefits - I was myself in the past).