Kattie

LONDON (AFP) - Four in five Britons should have some kind of identity card by 2013, Home Secretary (Interior Minister) David Blunkett told the country's parliament, announcing a measure resisted by some fellow ministers.
The introduction of a compulsory ID card would make it easier to combat terrorism, illegal immigration and welfare fraud, he said, adding that parliament would vote on the plan but not for some years.

Initially the government will set up a database where basic information about each citizen will be stored.

"It will not have details of religion, political beliefs, marital status or your health records," Blunkett said.

From 2007/8 onwards a new type of passport will record this kind of information, using biometric data such as fingerprints and eye-scanning. The scheme could be extended to driving licenses and Britons who held neither a passport nor a driving licence would be offered the option of an ID card.

"The Government expects that 80 percent of the adult population would have an ID card by 2013," Blunkett said.

"I know some people believe there is a sinister motive behind the cards; that they will be part of a Big Brother state.

"This is wrong -- only basic information will be held on the ID card database -- such as your name, address, birthday and sex."

Blunkett said surveys showed 80 percent of Britons backed the introduction of the card which he described as "not a luxury or a whim ... a necessity."

But at least two senior government ministers are reported to have misgivings about the card and human rights and civil liberties organisations have attacked the scheme as both costly and a threat to personal freedom.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...d_031111184216
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3259285.stm
I don't see how a card will make it easier to stop crime. All you need is a buddy at the bureau or a good counterfeiter to make you one. And it is not hard at all to get one. Even adding biometrics won't make it any harder to acquire. I don't mind a photo ID ,but the minute they want my fingerprints or retinal scan is the minute i stop being legal. The goverment doesnt need that information. Even though this is only in the UK now, i can see this type of nonsense coming over here in the guise of stopping terrorism.

ForeverInLoveWithJus

I think its a good idea.

Leonida

If you ain't got nothing to hide and you aren't breaking the law you shouldn't fear having an i.d card

midnightman

1984

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Lenghthen

astrocamel

IamA-BFG

Wrong. You could actually have top secret information against the government (such as you were a personal witness against a crime the government committed, and it is a very serious one, and they know this), so that would make it easier for them to find you. Also, you could have expert knowledge in certain fields in which they did not want you to have quite as much knowledge as you do (even though it wasn't a crime and you did NOTHING wrong) because they like to keep the people dumbed down and under control.

You are assuming that governments are honest. They are not

Anyhow, the only good governments, IMO, are very very very VERY small, and spread out governments in the form of familial tribes small enough so that everybody knows everybody else in their tribe. The reasoning is because the government actually does care about the people (in those cases) because they are relatives, if nothing else. Currently, world governments don't give a shit about their people.