Compulsory ID cards...welcome to the police state.

Us brits are gonna be getting compulsory ID cards soon with all of our info on it. In about five years, they want 80% of British citizens to have one and they'll cost over £70. Whoopee. They'll be critical to applying for a drivers liscence, passport, etc and will need to be renewed every 10 years, methinks. After that, they also have a biometrics program in place so that everyone's retinal scans and fingerprints will be recorded on a nation-wide database. Sorry to say this, but privacy seems to be going out of the window here. Minority Report anyone? I'd like to know if this same thing's gonna be happening over in the States, or any other country for that matter.

Let's hear some views ladies and gents.

 

It stinks, you're right. £40 not £70, FYI.

 

Well, it's not like anyone could read the cards. Only certain organizations could read certain parts of the card. In addition, they're extremely difficult to crack.

 

Yeah, apparently the price will vary from about £35 to £74 depending on what type of card you end up getting. I know that only certain irganisations will be able to read the card, but I've already heard stuff about potential security flaws; apparently, it uses a chip similar to the ones you get on your Sky card, and there are ways of getting to the information. Apparently this creates a greater potential of some serious identity fraud. Dunno, but it sounds kinda scary to me. You also won't be entitled to NHS services without an ID card. Furthermore, it seems that a company (forgot the name) is coming up with something called a VeriChip that'll be inserted into people, allowing anyone to be tracked down anywhere on the Earth. They've already started putting them into animals.

Well, I'm definitely freaked...

More responses people /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

About time too.
Here on mainland Europe weve had national ID since forever.

 

Yes but according to Horizon the world's gonna end in 3 years and if that doesn't happen we'll have to endure an ice age in 20 years. /versus/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Horizon: Making you feel safe about the future /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

 

Well, Shoju, let's look on the bright side...it makes a change from our everyday lives of endless commuting and working like donkeys right? Well, that's what MY life is primarily about anyway...sad, sad...

I'd like to know which Horizons episodes you're talking about...I'd like to get ahold of 'em.

Thanks for the input!

 

I've heard the cards may not be issued in Scotland, as most of the Scottish parliment are against them and can vote to abolish them north of the border.

Mind you, can't see what all the fuss is about myself. Only basic ID data wil be stored on the card, and how's it any different from holding a driver's licence or a passport. Also, more personal info can be gleaned from an individual's internet activity and mobile phone use than could every be extracted from a simple data card.

 

Yeah, perhaps you're right MAXIMUM. Perhaps I am worrying about nothing, but then there is also the very real potential of how far this will go. I mean, is this the precursor to a more sinster form population control?

Keep sending your views people! /versus/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[ QUOTE ]
max314 said:

Well, Shoju, let's look on the bright side...it makes a change from our everyday lives of endless commuting and working like donkeys right? Well, that's what MY life is primarily about anyway...sad, sad...

I'd like to know which Horizons episodes you're talking about...I'd like to get ahold of 'em.

Thanks for the input!

[/ QUOTE ]

Think how commuting would be in a -20/30 climate. If you had to wait for a bus you'd freeze to death long before it got to you /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif . Can you imagine the excuses you could come up with to get off work?

Those episodes were last week's and this coming week's.

 

Haha...yeah, well, now THERE'S some food for thought! /versus/images/graemlins/laugh.gif