"My government recognises that we live in a time of global
uncertainty with an increased threat from international terrorism
and organised crime," said the Queen. "Measures to extend
opportunity will be accompanied by legislation to increase security
for all."
This translates as the proposed identity card scheme, the
creation of a new Serious Organised Crime Agency – previewed as the
British equivalent of the FBI – and the strengthening of powers to
fight crime and terrorism in the UK and abroad.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats condemned the Government
for creating a climate of fear.
Background to the ID cards
The Government published its proposals for the national ID card
scheme in April, including draft legislation that would allow for a
database to be kept containing detailed personal information on
cardholders, and which could potentially create an electronic
fingerprint of everyone who uses a service, such as the NHS, that
requires an ID card check.
It is planned that the scheme will be ready by 2007-2008
although it is unlikely to be made compulsory until 2013, after
further legislation has been passed. A new National Identity Scheme
Commissioner will oversee the workings of the system.
Experts and civil liberties groups are up in arms over the
proposals, which are seen as rushed, over-reaching and a serious
attack on human rights.
The Government has indicated that it
sees the database that will support the ID card scheme as an
information resource which can potentially be applicable in many
circumstances. It is unclear at the moment whether the Government
has heeded any of the criticisms levelled at it by the Information
Commissioner, who has stated:
"We are worried about the information
that the national identity register will contain as this seems
excessive to that needed to establishing identity and registering
someone. The register will also keep a record of whenever it was
checked by some one providing a service to individuals. This will
mean that an extensive picture of how we live our lives and our
movements can be built up and it is intended to make this available
to a range of organisations without consent".
In the latest attempt to foster public opposition, demonstrators
from anti-ID card group NO2ID yesterday stood outside the Houses of
Parliament with bar-codes rubberstamped on their arms.
"The Government's plans for identity cards represent an enormous
threat to privacy and liberty in the UK," said Mark Littlewood,
NO2ID's national coordinator. "The creation of a national database,
which is bound to grow over time, is the moral equivalent of
bar-coding the entire population."
"Tough talk and tougher legislation is cheap," said Shami
Chakrabarti, Director of human rights group Liberty. "It doesn't
make us any safer from crime, terrorism and the other great causes
of fear. What it will do is to undermine the very democracy that
this Government and its allies across the Atlantic say they want to
defend."
