I.D. Cards....Am i wrong......

The problem with an actual official id card scheme is that the government past and present and regardless of party, is notoriously inept at any IT project. How many times has it been in the news that they've simply lost very sensitive personal data, in one example, unencrypted on a usb memory stick.

The latest one I've heard of is that they're putting our medical records on an internet connected app, while at the same time, a different department within the exact same government is warning us constantly of the massive risks of cyber attacks.

To the average honest person, a mandatory id card is just an inconvenience, an extra thing to look after. To the wrong kind of people, it is something else to steal or to forge for malicious purposes.

In a perfect world, there'd be no risk associated with it, but in a perfect world there'd be no demand for it.

As I mentioned earlier, there's no need to argue over it, because anyone in favour of it can already get one, either from a private company, or the passport office.

 

Hi Clueless,
Private Company cards aren't classed as acceptable. And, why should I pay for a passport I am never going to use ?

 

Armandii, the reason why and to whom was stated in my original post I believe.

 

Equally, why should I pay, either directly or through my tax contributions, for an ID cards that I neither want nor believe has any merit?

 

Dont most places take utility bills, pay slips, credit cards, tv licence etc. as proof of identity?

I've got a photo driving licence but only because that silly toy town paper one I was issued with back in 1974 fell to pieces.
God knows who that photo is of, that is on it, looks like a right criminal.

Why do photos on official documents never seem to look like the person they are supposed to be?
The method of transferring the picture to a plastic card seems to be really crude.

Whatever system they come up with would be overcome by the crooks/terrorists before they even put it into being.
A national ID card would be a joke, and if they actually expected you to pay for it, it would be even a bigger joke.

 

Ive got news for the people who every day come out with the lovely heart warming, pc, and delusional " the terrorists will never win " clap trap.

THE TERRORISTS HAVE ALREADY WON !

look at us talking about having to have photo i.d. now,
You cant take a decent bottle of water on a flight,
You cant just buy a mobile phone without your details being checked out first,
When your in the airport even little old ladies and young children are getting frisked by some miserable and rude jumped up security guard.

So dont kid yourselves, the terrorists have already won and changed the way we live our lives and theyve curbed our rights and freedoms permanantly.

 

An id card is a good, but you can get fake passports, driving licences etc, so id cards can be faked as well

 

Just raising my head over the parapet, and risking a knock-down.

A viewpoint from a country where we have ID cards already...
We have to register with the local authorities within 7 days of arriving in the country. The same if we change address (even moving between flats in the same block). When you first register in a commune/council, the police come and check that you are who you say you are. An Unannounced visit, and you have to produce the correct supporting paperwork.

Once you have your id - name, address, nationality, place of birth etc held on it - you do use it in daily life. You can be asked to produce it if you have to collect a parcel from the post office. Or if you have to sign for a recorded delivery. It is checked when you move money around, or get advice from the bank. It is used when you conduct legal things (eg to buy or rent a property). You can be asked to produce it when stopped by the police, so officially should carry it at all times. (I don't carry mine when walking the dogs, and have never been challenged to produce it, even if I have been stopped by the police).

Most of these things can be done with passport or plastic driving licence (though many of us still have the old Belgian paper ones), but every one has to have ID, and as has already been mentioned, don't have to have passport or driving licence.

I know of people who are not Belgian nationals who have happily lived in Belgium for a number of years without going through this process, and have successfully rented properties officially, opened bank accounts, etc. Not naming names, but he would not dare lie to me!

Oh, and it's free...!

 

I want one of those! (free is my favourite price)

But seriously, not everybody travels abroad or drives so paying towards costs of passports and driving licences is OK as far as I'm concerned, but if ID cards are compulsory for the entire population they should be completely free.

 

Not sure I'd like the idea of being stopped in the street and being asked to produce my ID.

I've always been able to walk around without having to bother for the whole of my life, I've never been stopped by the police in the street.
Even if stopped while driving you get a few days to show your documents at a local police station.

If they ever bring in compulsory ID cards then this so called "free country" will have dumped the last "free" bit we had left.

Always reminds me of those old war films with the SS demanding to see everyone's "papers"