Leatherhead Matters

The Government are quietly scaling back the scope of their National Identity Card Project and we are unlikely to see major progress until possibly, after the next election You may remember that biometric ID Cards is was one of the big ideas of New Labour in response to the domestically grown terrorist threat. However, iris recognition was dumped at an early stage as too expensive (although it is now in use at all US ports of entry).

From November this year, Foreigners (non EU) will still be required to submit to finger printing and carry an ID card with this biometric on it. A National ID Card will also be available for “any citizen who wants one“. However the Government are  now backing away from a national register of finger prints…..a key part of the National Identity card (Observer).

At the same time, they have begun to talk up enforcement of finger printing via other routes:

• The Identity & Passport Service (IPS) is currently scheduled to start collecting fingerprints for all passport renewals from 2009
• The Government are considering using coercion by UK vehicle licensing agencies. A National Audit Office report found that 90 per cent of people applying for a provisional licence were unable to complete the transaction online, and that although 25 per cent had been forecast to apply online for a provisional licence, only 4 per cent actually did so (more millions wasted on a government IT project). So the Government is thinking of requiring finger printing as part of the manual licence application process.
• People working with children and vulnerable groups have to be vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau and may be required to provide finger prints.
• Anyone arrested, automatically has to provide their finger prints even if, subsequently, they are not charged (Like Lord Levy). The data remains on the police database.
• Schools are increasingly finger printing pupils either on enrolment or, for library membership with support from the government

In effect the Government are developing a stealth strategy to collecting the nations biometrics. While still claiming there is no National Identity scheme they intend to grow the national biometric database via target groups.

The Government again appear not to have thought through the consequences of their strategy (as always they focus on presentation first).

So if you are a trainee, domestic terrorist what should you do?

1. Don’t apply for a driving licence. Just do what more and more young people appear to be doing….drive illegally (& try not to get caught)
2. Avoid hiring a car. Read more HERE
3. Don’t contemplate a career in teaching or child care.
4. Don’t apply for a passport or, if you really feel you have to:
   • Sandpaper your finger prints. However you need to do it monthly because they grow back!
   • Burn you finger prints off with acid. The finger prints do not grow back. Removing finger prints using acid or sandpaper has been used by criminals for decades.
   • Supply false finger prints. Read more HERE)
   • Use a plastic surgeon to erase or, even replace your existing finger prints. Read more HERE

The Government do not appear to understand that people desperate enough to avoid surveillance or, detection resort to desperate measures!