|
|
|
|
|
ID card fallout of child benefit fiasco Philip Johnston Could the fiasco of the lost child benefit records spell the end for the Government's ID Card project? MPs have questioned how the Government could be entrusted with the details of every adult in the land when it is so cavalier with personal data. Alistair Darling said that the biometric identifiers that would be entered on to the ID database would make such blunders less likely. But it does not matter how secure the technology is. It is only as effective as the people who look after the information. There are stiff penalties in the ID Card Act for anyone misusing the data.
However, if procedures are not followed or if criminals corruptly obtain the details we will all be compromised. This was always going to be the biggest problem with ID cards. Some people object strongly on civil liberties grounds to the creation of an ID register. Yet, even if people do not oppose ID cards in principle, they at least expect them to work properly. After all, a state-issued ID card will be a magnet for criminals. If they can crack the central database they will be into the motherlode.
|
||||
