NO2ID newsletter no. 16

NO2ID newsletter no.16 is now available. Highlights:

"SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS ID CARD BILL

Last Thursday (February 24) the Scottish Parliament sent a clear message
to the Home Secretary Charles Clarke and the Labour government, when
they passed a motion that called the proposed Identity Card "an
unacceptable threat to civil liberties". Outside the Holyrood building
protestors tore up fake ID cards."

Transcript of the debate: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-05/sor0224-02.htm#C
ol14711


"CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AFFILIATES TO NO2ID

Cambridge became the latest council to state their objection to the
government's proposed identity card scheme and affiliate to NO2ID last
Thursday (February 24). The council passed a motion that laid out its
concerns about the government's bill and stated its plans to oppose it
wherever possible."


"53rd ANNIVERSARY OF ABOLITION OF ID CARDS IN THE UK

NO2ID held an hour-long vigil beneath the statue of Winston Churchill in
Parliament Square on Monday, February 21.

In funereal black, NO2ID and Liberty mourned the short memory and lack
of sense that leads this government to try and reintroduce ID cards and
create the National Identity Register, 53 years after Churchill scrapped
the wartime ID card system.

Proceedings were watched with interest by the real authorities,
including Charing Cross constabulary--and the all-seeing eyes of our
database state were represented by costumed suppporters as giant, unblinking eyes. The group was moved on after an hour and a half, with police claiming the polystyrene breastplates of the costumes, not unlike police body armour, looked like explosives."

"NO2ID CAMPAIGNS IN HOME SECRETRARY'S CONSTITUENCY

The NO2ID Voter Education Tour began on Saturday 19 February in the
streets of Norwich, delivering thousands of leaflets to voters in the
city centre and in Charles Clarke's Norwich South constituency."

"FRENCH GOVERNMENT MOVES TOWARDS COMPULSORY ID

The French government is trying to impose an electronic ID card on
French citizens, using the justification that other countries are. In
particular they incorrectly cite the 'law of the 20th December 2004'
introducing compulsory ID cards in Britain.

For a rough and ready google translation see http://tinyurl.co.uk/20dm"


"Angela Sasse, Professor of Human-Centred Technology at University
College London, questions the expected performance of ID cards and biometric passports in light of the "reality of human behaviour".
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/266253/Mind+reader.htm
This is a lovely article outlining just some of the practical difficulties the ID systems will have.