The biometric identity card and children

Your Child and Biometric Identification Ever since the debate over biometric identification began, the question of compulsory registering of children on the National Identity Register has never been answered by the government. However, following the 2006 General Election, several suggestions were made by Ministers and government bodies:

babies should have DNA samples taken after birth
children under 16 should have a free biometric ID card
the Childrens Index and CIP databases should be merged into the NIR¹

In conjunction with provisions made under the Identity Card Bill, this enables the government to enroll babies and children onto the NIR without parental consent. This potentially conflicts with the European Convention of Human Rights, removes parental choice, and robs the child of their identity at birth.

Parents should note that registering their child for a biometric passport automatically enters their childs biometric and personal details on the NIR.

The dangers of putting children on the National identity register (NIR) Many people will work on the National Identity Register (NIR), both in government and private companies.* The government has not given details of the security checks these people will go through, or whether criminals guilty of sexual offences against children will be allowed to work on the NIR. However, the governments track-record to-date suggests that child sex offenders will be allowed to work on the NIR, and that your childs privacy is at risk:

convicted sex offenders were approved to work in schools by Ruth Kelly, Education Secretary²
18,000 web-pages accessed by government computers contained pictures of child abuse³
child benefit details for 25 million britons lost by HMRC, including detials of children

Once paedophiles gain access to the NIR. They can use the NIR in a number of ways:

identify children from CCTV cameras using the facial biometric (supplied on biometric passport/ID card)
discover a childs home address and school (NIR/Child Database)
details of adults the child associates with - parents, aunts, uncles (Child Database)
identify children with a history of abuse (Child Database)
build up a pattern of child and parents movements (NIR, audit log)

The inclusion of children on the NIR is deeply disturbing as it requires only one paedophile with access to the database to compromise the security of thousands of children.

(The biometric passport enters any childs biometrics to the NIR and could subject them to the biometric CCTV surveillance mentioned above).

the childrens bill and the child database The database will store the following information on your children:

Name, age, gender, and address
Identification number
Education background
Health background
Person responsible for child welfare
Contact details for GP (doctor)Contact details of school
Record of every ‘professional’ contact with your child and action taken
Behaviour of parents and relatives, i.e. for profiling and alerting social services

Tony Blair has also suggested that DNA samples be recorded at the birth of any child in the UK.

(for more information on the Child Bill and the risks to your children and you, we recommend you visit the ARCH website which aims to protect the rights of your child).

At first this appears a fairly harmless, and to many parents it may seem a good idea to alert social services of children ‘at risk’. So why the concern?

Under the Children’s Bill information considered as confidential under common law can be stored on a database without the knowledge or consent of parents. For any of the 11 million children in Britain, this data can then be shared between government agencies. A number of councils around the country have already started registering details of children under the Identity, Referral and Tracking project (IRT).*

A major concern is that these databases provide a simple way of phasing in an identity card database by starting with those most vulnerable and unable to defend themselves.

When they are at an age when it is compulsory to hold an ID card their details will simply be transferred to the Identity Register (the ID Card Bill allows for this without consent). Any biometrics collected at schools (see next section) can also be transferred to the Identity Register (again without consent). From the Identity Register they can then make their way to SIS II (the European ID database).

This process denies parent and the child any control over their personal data and identities. When these children become adults they will never have the freedom to control their own identity. Ultimately, the process is aimed at removing a child’s right to privacy, obtaining personal details without consent, and removing the freedom of choice of every young person in the country. In short, it is systematic identity theft.

The Information Commissioner has already warned that government proposals are potentially illegal under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. He also has serious concerns that the size and scope of the database will face serious technical difficulties and would be of little use in protecting children against abuse because it “increases the size of the haystack when hunting for a needle”.**

Influencing Children and Teenagers Children and young adults represent a ‘soft’ target for the government and the private companies behind the identity card scheme.

Children and teenagers are more susceptible to media advertising and promotion by pro-identity card bodies (e.g. the banking sector). The increasing number of ‘identity theft’ adverts from companies hoping to cash in on the ID craze has a serious influence on younger people who will unjustly perceive that they are at high risk.

Introduction of biometric technology into schools acts as a useful marketing tool for biometric ‘security’ companies. It is ironic, that most parents would openly object to Coca-Cola or McDonalds promoting their products in schools, yet are silent when their children are being used for biometric experiments and surveillance tests by I.T. companies.

Not surprisingly, as in the case of fingerprinting Cambridgeshire children, the technology companies are happy to give the software and hardware for free.*** The government naturally sees the advantage of these systems is they are ‘softening-up’ children and collecting the biometric data needed for the Identity Register.

taking risks with your childs security As part of the promotion of biometric, smart card, and surveillance technology, opportunist private companies with local government permission have been pushing biometric and surveillance technology into schools. This initiative helps to soften children to the technology so they accept it as part of daily life. The introduction of observation technology and the companies involved opens up alarming risks for the security of your child.

This was dramatically highlighted by a report in The Telegraph of surveillance systems being introduced into one Lancashire school. Live videos of the children in the classroom were broadcast over a (secure) internet connection and events recorded for later viewing or storing onto a CD****.

As one commenter discovered, this electronic surveillance system was not on the register of Data Controllers as required under the Data Protection Act. There were also questions whether the IT staff, technology suppliers, and the Internet Service Provider had been subject to the appropriate Criminal Records Bureau screening which is required to filter out child abusers and paedophiles.

Allowing a biometric or surveillance company into your child’s school provides an opportunity for complete strangers to collect, store, and distribute details about your child. In the age of portable USB keys, a dubious employee can copy sensitive details and images of your child in seconds and take these out of the school premises. These can them be easily distributed over the internet.

Children are also less likely to safeguard their biometrics as well as an adult. Therefore, there is a great risk that by the time they reach adult hood their biometrics and identity have already been stolen.

Protecting Your Childs Privacy and Anonymity

You can help protect your children by taking some simple steps:

Notify your Childs school (in writing) that you do not want any of your Childs biometrics recorded (most importantly finger and eye biometrics), or digital images of them recorded and transmitted using internet connections.

If technology companies have already penetrated your Childs school, you can check if they are legally registered under the Data Controllers register (click here). If they are not, then you should notify your school and the Information Commissioner.

Warn your children that they should not allow any adults, including teachers, to use machines that require them to remain motionless in front of, or place their face or hands against. If in doubt, they should refuse and tell you at the earliest opportunity.

Be aware that your child may be subject to peer pressure from school friends who regard biometric identification as 'cool'.

The full biometric passport or Euro-passport (from 2007/2008) will contain a microchip which can hold biometrics. Under the Identity Card Bill, biometrics can be copied from any school or other 3rd-party database and placed on the chip without child or parents consent. The microchip can be read over short distances without your child’s knowledge or your permission. Initially, the passport will hold a facial biometric and digital photograph. As part of the phasing-in of the identity card and Euro-ID, the government will insist at a later date that finger and eye biometrics are added to the chip. Note that the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) does not require finger or eye biometrics to be included. If you want to prevent your child’s and your finger/eye biometrics being forcibly taken, then you should oppose the introduction of the identity card and biometric passport. The official opposition is No2id.