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index.owenbak-20030615.php3
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<html>
<head>
<title>Stand: Defining Digital Freedoms In The UK</title>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
<meta name="description" content="The Stand weblog." />
<meta name="keywords" content="Stand, weblog, blog" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="/weblog/syndication/index.xml" />
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/weblog/includes/style/global.css" type="text/css" />
<style type="text/css">
@import url(/weblog/includes/style/global_non_ns4.css);
</style>
</head>
<body link="#006611" alink="#006611 vlink="#996633">
<div id="top">
<div id="masthead">stand</div>
<div id="controls">
<span class="control"><a href="/">home</a></span>
<span class="control"><a href="weblog/about/">about</a></span>
<span class="control"><a href="mailto:[email protected]">email</a></span>
<br>
</div>
</div>
<div class="titletomski">A Cynic's Guide To Entitlement (*cough* ID *cough*) Cards</div>
<div id="page-body">
<div id="main">
<P>
<B>31st May 2003</B><BR>
<P>
Yes, it appears that - either by having outdated figures, or by counting all the STAND-relayed submissions as one collective statement - the government is <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/cm030428/debtext/30428-04.htm#30428-04_wqn3">claiming much lower (and more positive) figures</a> for their ID card consultation than our statistics indicate. We've <a href="http://www.oblomovka.com/entries/2003/05/30#1054295940">written them a letter</a> to find out more, and are currently pursuing a couple of other channels to get an answer. In the mean time, if you wrote a submission via STAND and wouldn't mind it being used publically by us as an example of the contributions made through the service, mail us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>. We'll get in touch if we need to. Thanks!</p>
<P>
<B>31st Jan 2003</B><BR>
<p>
The Government's <A HREF="http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/dob/ecu.htm">consultation</A> on "Entitlement" Cards has now closed. Many thanks
to the thousands of people who took the time and effort to write a response to the Home Office's proposals and/or let their MP know
about their feelings regarding ID Cards.
<P>
The proof of the pudding is in the legislating, but it certainly looks like <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2688697.stm">you all
had an impact</A>. The Government's rhetoric has moved rapidly since just before Christmas when Lord Falconer's over-hasty <a href="http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page6806.asp">self-congratulation</A> woke us up.
<P>
Over 5,000 of you responded to the ID card consultation via this website, of which several thousand went on to use <A HREF="http://www.faxyourmp.com/">FaxYourMP.com</A> to inform their MP of their concerns.
<P>
Allow yourselves a brief, gentle glow of pride... but keep 'em peeled.
<P>
<I>You can download the STAND.org.uk submission to the Government's Entitlement Cards Consulation <A HREF="StandIdCardReport.doc">here</A> (400k Word doc). There's also a (somewhat bloated) 350k HTML version <A HREF="IdCardResponse.html">here</A>.
</I>
<P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="2" BORDER="0" BGCOLOR="#006611">
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="top">
<TABLE CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="8" BORDER="0" BGCOLOR="#CCFF99">
<TR><TD>
<I><B><?
include "config.php3";
$q= $db_stand->query("select sent from standstats");
$counter = $q->field(0,"sent");
echo " ".$counter;
?></B>
consultation responses were submitted via this site between 10th and 31st Jan 2003.
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
<B>10th Jan 2003</B><BR>
Hands up everybody who's really excited about the
introduction of universal Identity Cards for every man,
woman and child in the country!
<P>
No?
<P>
Well, that can't be right. Lord Falconer says that in one of
the widest ranging <A HREF="http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/dob/ecu.htm">consultations</A> conducted by a government,
<a href="http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page6806.asp">they've been fair swamped</a>
with positive endorsements of
the Government's Entitlement Card plans. <P>
<B><I>With just a few
days to go before the end of the consultation, the Home Office is
saying that overall the public's reaction is hugely positive.</I></B>
<P>
The cynics amongst you might comment that that's because the
only people who have been really gee-ed up about <A HREF="http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/cpd/entitlement_cards/complete_hi_r.pdf">downloading
a 13MB PDF</A> (<A HREF="http://www.isness.org/idcard/">here's the HTML version we knocked up</A>),
scrutinising its every word and then writing up
their fascinating points of view are those with an axe to
grind about ID cards in the first place. Like the IT
companies who are desperate to sell the government a brand
new solution. Or the civil servants who've been hankering
after this massive simplification of their dozens of
databases for decades. Or the private companies like credit
agencies who would dearly love to have a single ID to store
all the data they're collecting on you.
<P>
Or, even, those in power who'd love to have a single place
they could find the name, address and personal details of
every person in the country or prevent them accessing vital
state services with a flick of a switch.
<P>
And we think you'd be right.
<P>
In fact, as a cynic - in particular, a cynic who uses
computers - we think you're desperately unrepresented in
this consultation.
<P>
We've listed some of the more cynical (and, we think,
accurate) truths about ID Cards for your consumption below.
If some of them - or even if none of them - meet with your gritty, realistic approval,
then just click 'Next Step...'. You'll then be able to draft your own
formal consultation response.
<P>
Confirm that draft, and we'll send your comments directly to
the Home Office's Entitlement Card Department and they'll
get incorporated into the final report.
<P>
Will it change much? Maybe: ID Cards are one of those ideas
that the public never votes on, but governments always
propose. When you're a minister, having an easy-to-get-at
list of everyone in the country sounds a terrific idea. But
when you find out quite how many people don't share that
opinion, you're tempted to think again. Especially when
those people are voters.
<P><A NAME="response"></A>
Oh, sure, that's us speaking cynically. But cynically
speaking, we think, is better than not speaking at all.<P>
<P>
<div class="titletomski">Want to know even more?</div>
The <A HREF="http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/idcard/uk/uk-idcard-faq.html">Privacy International FAQ</A>
on the ID Card proposals is well worth a read.
<P>
<p>You can find the old STAND homepage <a
href="/index.20020610.php3">here</a>.</p>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
</div>
</div>
<!-- end main -->
</div>
<!-- end page-body -->
</div>
<? include("id_tracker.php3"); ?>
</body>
</html>