06 November 2005

UK data protection office says ID cards signal surveillance society

Sarah Hilley

The UK Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, has said that the large amount of personal information that the UK Government plans to collect for the ID card national register is “unwarranted and intrusive”.

The office, which oversees the Data Protection Act, also said that after the UK government has confirmed the identities of citizens with biometrics, there is no need to then keep all the information in a national database.

In addition people should not have to register another address with the register when they move home, the office said.

"If a person issued with a card buys a second home this cannot affect their identity, which would already have been verified and tied to a unique biometric. The requirement to register another address is excessive and irrelevant.”

An audit trail will likely be set up to show which organization checked the National Identity Register and when. The Information Commissioner is worried that the register will build “up a picture of an individual’s card use and a detailed picture of how they live their lives.”

A local card reader is sufficient to verify identity and removes the need for records to be kept on a central database, it said.

Also, the combination of CCTV cameras, satellite vehicle tracking and automatic number plate recognition combined with ID cards could ead to the development of a surveillance society.

The Commissioner is also worried about its own powers to check on data protection compliance.

The Government has announced that companies will be able to pay to access the Register, but the Office has voiced concern about the breadth of organizations with such access.

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