ID Cards, why can't we be like the Belgians?

[n5gooner]

Sex?
All for it?
Hairy'un?

did someone say hairy...

[wendigo100]

Abusing the system?

It is possible that some companies could abuse
the system, imagine your medical records are accessed via this card. Do you
think insurance companies would miss the opportunity to request a card
check to find out if you are a good risk for them?

It's not abuse - it is legal.

Earlier this year the Health and Social Care Act allowed the opening up of
previously confidential medical records to any organisation considered in
the public interest, without either the consent or knowledge of the
individual whose records are to be made public.

Personal, private information, which will in almost all instances have no
conceivable impact on security, is now available for the authorities to do with
as they wish.

[Francko]

Very true, but it gives namby pamby, cry baby scaredy cats like Chico a false feeling of security from the big bad boogeymen terrorists hiding behind every lampost.

Spartacus, what's your point? it's like saying that because penicillin doesn't cure HIV then we really don't need it. Of course, it will NOT stop terrorism but it will be very useful in identifying small crime and identity falsification.

[Spartacus]

Spartacus, what's your point? it's like saying that because penicillin doesn't cure HIV then we really don't need it. Of course, it will NOT stop terrorism but it will be very useful in identifying small crime and identity falsification.

Apparently it won't be any good for that either.

ID cards will 'help fraudsters'

LEADING fraud experts have rejected Tony Blair’s claims that identity cards will help to stem the soaring costs of identity theft.

Dr James Backhouse, a director of the London School of Economics Information Systems Integrity Group, said that identity cards would instead become the new master key for identity fraudsters, who would be able to acquire the cards using stolen documents. An identity theft takes place every four minutes and costs the country an estimated £1.3 billion a year.

It is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Britain. Fraudsters typically use discarded utility bills or bank statements of their victims to apply for loans and credit cards. Mr Backhouse said it would be impossible for the Government to stop fraudsters from applying for identity cards using fake documents.

Once a successful application has been made, an identity fraudster will have his own biometric details imprinted on an ID card displaying fake or stolen personal information.

Dr Backhouse said: “ID cards will exacerbate the situation. The stakes are raised that much higher if the master key is cracked; it opens the door to all sorts of frauds.

[Francko]

Apparently it won't be any good for that either.

ID cards will 'help fraudsters'

How can it be easier to obtain stolen ID cards (which will be certainly made useless once stolen and claimed) rather than bills?

Now, I understand he is in the London School of Economics but did he skip the class for common sense?

[MrsGoof]

Franco,

So how do people check the ID card is vaild? Do you expect every organisation in the country to have biometric testing equipment to compare against the details held on the card?

Oh hang on this is a job for the A team, or shoulf that be EDS

[Francko]

Franco,

So how do people check the ID card is vaild? Do you expect every organisation in the country to have biometric testing equipment to compare against the details held on the card?

Oh hang on this is a job for the A team, or shoulf that be EDS

Can just call the police or a special number which will check the validity of the card number. How can they do for credit cards then? Surely a biometric test will be harder to be done but at least you can check the numbers....

[sparklelard]

Fingerprints can already be checked at the road side. The immigration service use it when they stop transit van loads of people heading for the farms to determine their identity.

People who have gone through the asylum process have their fingerprints scanned and is accessble. It p1sses the police right off as they would love to have it. None of this who are you crap.

If the cards could store an image of the holder and that image is also stored on a central database...........

[tim123]

Franco,

So how do people check the ID card is vaild? Do you expect every organisation in the country to have biometric testing equipment to compare against the details held on the card?

Because in addition to all the bios there's a common or garden picture on it as well. The first check will be that you have a passing resemblence to that picture and for many applications this will be enough.

tim

[Not So Wise]

Earlier this year the Health and Social Care Act allowed the opening up of
previously confidential medical records to any organisation considered in
the public interest, without either the consent or knowledge of the
individual whose records are to be made public.

Had not heard of this act and just skimmed though it, key term i would say is in "public interest". Insurance companies looking to calculate risk about an individual would not be "public interest", thats a private financial concern

That Joe Blogs is walking around with a highly contagious disease that will infect anyone who comes near him would be in the "public interest"

Law seems designed to enable them to warn people in the latter situation, where previously they could not.