No doubt the much heralded identity cards will make their way through Parliament and become a reality, not that many people really want them. Civil liberties aside, I am very concerned about the stance firms will inevitably take if identity cards are introduced.
Having been told that the technology is absolutely secure, most businesses will blindly accept this. The technology may be secure for a while, but it is only a matter of time before the encryption is cracked. When that happens those with a vested interest in preserving the status quo (perhaps because of the enormous cost of identity cards or because of the embarrassment factor when it is cracked) will in all likelihood ignore the evidence for as long as possible.
In the meantime, individuals who have their identities stolen will suffer enormous problems. How do you prove it wasn't you when everyone you deal with is told that the system is foolproof?
An identity card is supposed to engender trust and when it is presented there is an expectation that the technology and the information provided by it can be trusted. It is this universal trust that will make the prospect of cracking identity cards so appealing to every criminal in town.
The technology may be secure for a number of years but humans operate it and they will always be the weakest link. I am currently abroad and was amazed to see a shop assistant accept a blank signed cheque onto which a shopper was about to fill in the numbers. One of the requirements for that store is for a national identity number to be provided and presumably verified against a photo on the card. What did the shopper do? She called up what was probably her daughter on her mobile phone and wrote the identity number she was quoted onto the back of the cheque. The shop assistant happily accepted this.
Of course the government cannot even countenance the fact that the technology may not be completely secure, so it cannot provide any legislative protection or safeguards for the individual. This is a real failing. And please don't even mention self-regulation. I have experienced it in my own industry (the legal sector) and am appalled at how badly these functions work. Ultimately they are there to protect their particular industry, no matter what they claim. Business interests will put a great deal of pressure on us to adopt what is being offered and many of us will bow to this pressure. But some individuals will suffer disproportionately when things go wrong.
I am actually in favour of identity cards, but only if there are adequate safeguards built in.
