The Identity cards Bill - The Information Commissioner’s Concerns (June 2005)

It is noted that ID cards are not just about introducing identification for individuals: rather, the scheme will entail the establishment of a new system of information about individuals which raises acute concerns about data protection and privacy.

The main argument focuses on the retention of data on a central register, suggesting that this is unnecessary and onerous. For example, the requirement for individuals to inform the government about all addresses they have lived at seems irrelevant and excessive. Concerns are expressed about the government’s proposed system of operation, in which a data trail will ensue when a card is checked against the national register. Again, this seems excessive and unduly intrusive, as it would enable a detailed picture to be built up of an individual’s life. The IC recommends the use instead of local card or biometric readers.

The IC also has concerns about the breadth of purpose of the ID card which will apparently be used for five major tasks: national security, prevention and detection of crime, enforcement of immigration controls, enforcement of prohibitions on illegal working, and efficient and effective delivery of public services.

The IC concludes that the government’s proposals cannot be reconciled with safeguards in data protection. It is recommended that the government should ‘establish a scheme which allows people to reliably identify themselves rather than one which enhances its ability to identify and record what its citizens do in their lives’.

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