How will the ID card affect me?

what happens if i take the identity card and biometric passport?To obtain a ‘designated document’ such as a passport or driving licence, you must take the ID card and have your details entered on the Identity Register (NIR). From 2008, any application for a passport will require your details are entered on the NIR, regardless whether you take the ID card.

For biometric passports (and ID cards) it is compulsory to attend an identity screening where you will need to prove who you are. This will involve doing a thorough search of your financial affairs to identify your ‘biogeography’ (i.e. financial transactions and related movements). You will be photographed, finger printed (all fingers) and your eyes scanned. From these, your biometrics (face, finger, eye patterns) are recorded. If you fail the biogeography screening, this could indicate you are an illegal immigrant or a criminal.

Your details will be stored on the Identity Register which will be checked every time you use the card. The government, Police, Inland Revenue, and Customs and Excise, and Immigration Control will scan the database at regular periods. Your details and fingerprints will also be shared with the EU through the Biometric Passport database SIS II.

The Identity Register will contain a range of information including ‘sensitive facts’ such as sexual preferences and political association e.g. homosexuality, political party membership, trade union membership.

The card is not free. You will have to pay £35 for the card and a biometric passport will cost you £85 (increased from £52). There are additional costs, these include the estimated set-up cost of between £6 and £30 Billion (industry experts put this estimate higher at approx. £1.63 Billion per year) which you will pay through extra taxes.

You must tell the government whenever your details change. If you do not, you will be fined £1000.

You will have to use the card at banks, building societies, estate agents, social services, health services, etc. The government will not limit who can demand to see your ID card. For the ‘smart card’ technology to work, you must submit to multi-finger/hand and eye-scanning so that the technology is secure. If you are not scanned then the card is a ‘dumb card’ and useless.

will my privacy be invaded by biometric technology?

When, where, and how you use the card is recordedby the government and stored in the database. Biometric CCTV technology (in conjunction with number plate recognition cameras) allows this record to be refined to monitor your every-day movements through use of your biometrics recorded on the Identity Register (NIR).

Using the Identity Register and biometrics you will be monitored as follows:

Biometric ID: any large financial transactions (mortgage, home purchase, renting a home, staying in a hotel)
Biometric ID: access to health and social services
Biometric ID: entering and leaving the country
Biometric CCTV cameras: identification of individuals in public places using the facial biometric stored on the NIR.
Number plate recognition cameras: identification of individuals movements by car
Regular scanning of finger print database by police and security agencies for crime investigation (note: finger biometrics have a high failure rate. You could be implicated in a crime you did not commit).

If you are from an ethnic minority, you are more likely to traced during counter-terrorism operations or be required to prove that you are not an illegal immigrant when accessing public services.

What happens if i refuse to take biometric technology?If you refuse biometric identification (even on grounds of belief) you will be subject to the following:

repeatedly fined £2500 until you submit to an identity screening.
If you do not (or cannot) pay, the government will send in the bailiffs to seize and sell your property.
you may not apply for a mortgage, bank account, ISA, perform share trading, or other financial service
you may not buy a home
you may not rent a home
you will be denied access to social services
you will be denied social benefits
you may lose your right to vote
you will not be able to move job. (Employers are expected to check you identity during/after interview)
you will not be allowed to leave the country
you will not be allowed to drive (if enforced through DVLA as 'designated document').

As biometric identification will be compulsory, at some point you will be arrested and forcibly finger-printed and eye-scanned. As part of the arrest procedure your DNA will be taken. Your details will be recorded on the Identity Register without your consent. These can then be shared with the EU database for biometric passports.

You will not be allowed to see the information held on you that was taken without your consent. If you want to see the information held on you, you must register for an identity card.*

Is my property at risk?At a time when the number of first-time buyers is at an all-time low due to high property price inflation; interest rates are rising; and political parties are committed to accelerating house building, property prices are looking at medium to long term downward pressure.

Government figures and numerous polls show that a consistent 38-48% of the population oppose the biometric ID card (with even less supporting it). Enforcing the ID card could potentially remove more buyers from the property market.

Property-pundits would argue that even civil rights protesters are likely to succumb to identity screening rather than lose the right to home ownership. However, with both Conservatives and Liberals committed to scrapping the biometric ID card scheme, first-time buyers and those considering a second home can choose to drop out of the marker until power changes hands.

Estate agents and mortgage providers will have to install scanners in their offices to check your identity. The cost of this equipment and running the computer infrastructure will be offset against the cost of buying or selling your home (e.g. by charging an additional fee).

If you already own a property, but do not have biometric ID, you will not be able to switch mortgage providers or sell your property. Therefore, you will not be able to shop around for lower mortgage rates.

From 2008 the government will make it compulsory to take a biometric ID and register your details on the NIR when you apply for a new passport (and possibly driving licence). There will be no non-biometric passport, so biometric-free citizens will not be allowed to leave the country**. If you own property overseas you will no longer be able to travel to make use of it. This may also cause you problems if you decide to sell it.

If you cannot afford to pay the fines, the government will send in the bailiffs to seize and sell your property to get the money.

is the technology reliable?Identity cards use the same basic technology as existing credit cards – plastic card, microchip, magnetic strip (and photo). Therefore, you can expect a similar degree of reliability. Existing smart card schemes shown that the chip wears down with regular use. So you may need to replace the card after 18-24 months, so its life-span could be similar to that of your credit card.

When you use biometric identification, it must be checked against your biometrics and the Identity Register. If not, the passport/card is not secure. Fingerprint recognition has a high failure rate. Biometric technology is still in its infancy and has yet to be proven to be reliable. Expert opinion suggests that using multiple biometrics increases the failure rate of the system.

Connection to the Identity Register will use existing technology the same as when you use your credit/debit card (i.e. using internet or dial-up). You should therefore expect that frequently it is not possible to connect to the Identity Register, and hence you will not be able to carry out your transaction or be refused service because you cannot prove who you are.
Government tests by the U.K. Passport Agency showed that British biometric passports have a 1 in 10 failure rate.

what are the risks?Research shows that the technology behind biometric passports and ID cards can easily be fooled using simple techniques.
The use of finger prints represents a major security flaw because you leave copies of your finger prints everywhere you go. These can then be ‘lifted’ and used by criminals at their leisure.

Computer manufactures continue to roll-out biometric technology for computer devices and retailers promote finger-print payment schemes. As the trend increases, your biometrics will be stored on a range of devices and private company databases with limited security. It will be fairly easy for criminals to access these databases and copy your biometrics. Hence, the more biometric technology is implemented, the greater your risk of identity theft.

The scanner technology which reads and sends your biometric data to the Identity Register can be read by computer hackers. This means the electronic readings the scanner takes of your fingerprints and eyes can be copied. To get access to your bank account, the hacker just plays the recorded data back to the scanner.

Biometric identification is the ‘holy grail’ of organised crime because it offers the illusion of security. If people believe that biometric passports and identity cards are 100% secure, then they will not question it when they are presented with a false (or stolen) one by a criminal.

The greatest limitation of biometrics is that once your biometrics are stolen, your fingers, face, and eyes cannot be replaced. This compromises any future biometric identification issued to you.