Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the UK, worth almost £2 billion per year. If you do pretty much anything on-line, sign up for shop loyalty cards or dispose of personal documentation without first shredding it, you are leaving yourself vulnerable. I have written previously about the Empire of Evil sharing your data with the government and reports of ID theft through the use of old bank statements and suchlike are trotted out on an almost daily basis.
What has this to do with Identity Cards you may ask? My point is simple: The one sure way to facilitate ID theft is to collect everybody's personal, professional and biometric details in one place and give the responsibility of securing all that critical data to a government department!
For example, yesterday's BBC Watchdog program exposed several incidents where personal data had been lost, mailed to complete strangers and over-written by none other than HM Revenue & Customs. In addition, it came to light that they had issued National Insurance numbers to multiple people. This unique number governs the national insurance and tax you pay, the size of your pension, any benefits you may be entitled to, etc. In fact, the official figures for 2005 reveal there were almost 2,000 reported cases of NI numbers being used by more than one person. Imagine how large the real figure must be! Furthermore, the Inland Revenue has just admitted to losing a CD last year containing the confidential details of over 15,000 people.
The debate on ID Cards has gone quiet but the policy is still being actively pursued by Gordon is a Moron and is simply going to be forced upon us. I have yet to see a single shred of tangible evidence to support the claims that these cards will aid the prevention or detection of crime, terrorism and anti-social behaviour. Even the government's official promotional material states "the National Identity Scheme cannot prevent terrorism" and simply states without any further explanation that it will "act as a deterrent". How exactly?
The National Identity Register will be the single most dangerous asset for ID fraudsters giving them a one-stop shop for everything they need to rip you off. As HM Revenue & Customs have shown so diligently, the last people you want securing all this critical personal information is a government department.
Bastards ... slimy bastards all over the world!
What has this to do with Identity Cards you may ask? My point is simple: The one sure way to facilitate ID theft is to collect everybody's personal, professional and biometric details in one place and give the responsibility of securing all that critical data to a government department!
For example, yesterday's BBC Watchdog program exposed several incidents where personal data had been lost, mailed to complete strangers and over-written by none other than HM Revenue & Customs. In addition, it came to light that they had issued National Insurance numbers to multiple people. This unique number governs the national insurance and tax you pay, the size of your pension, any benefits you may be entitled to, etc. In fact, the official figures for 2005 reveal there were almost 2,000 reported cases of NI numbers being used by more than one person. Imagine how large the real figure must be! Furthermore, the Inland Revenue has just admitted to losing a CD last year containing the confidential details of over 15,000 people.
The debate on ID Cards has gone quiet but the policy is still being actively pursued by Gordon is a Moron and is simply going to be forced upon us. I have yet to see a single shred of tangible evidence to support the claims that these cards will aid the prevention or detection of crime, terrorism and anti-social behaviour. Even the government's official promotional material states "the National Identity Scheme cannot prevent terrorism" and simply states without any further explanation that it will "act as a deterrent". How exactly?
The National Identity Register will be the single most dangerous asset for ID fraudsters giving them a one-stop shop for everything they need to rip you off. As HM Revenue & Customs have shown so diligently, the last people you want securing all this critical personal information is a government department.
Bastards ... slimy bastards all over the world!
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