Hi Terry, > Peter wrote: > > what will be the cost of the computer system for digital Id cards > > in the U.K?
Financial is not the only measurement. ‘At what cost?’ is a question often ignored in policy decisions, and when considered only implementation cost in money is used. > In principle, I am all for a central ID System, which should make > things a lot easier for the public, I find most things easy now: I'm not asked for ID day-to-day. On the odd occasion when more ID is required, I can supply it at extra effort, i.e. carry my passport for an appointment. ID is needed, e.g. personation at the voting booth. I know of tellers tracking who hasn't turned out to vote passing that information on as 10 p.m. nears to others who would turn up to vote fraudulently. The justification seems to be all sides do it. Blair's postal votes made voting corruption worse. When a sitting MP and his agent have complained to the police, saying they will give witness statements against particular, named individuals, the police don't pursue. https://www.stevebaker.info/2019/11/we-must-stamp-out-the-corruption-of-elections-in-wycombe/ And I'd want my bank to be very sure it's me at the counter wanting to walk out with a wodge; not someone who plucked the gas bill from my letterbox because the modern postman doesn't push it through. But once a Government system purely for ID exists, its use will ever widen. Firstly, it will do nothing to stop the employment of those not allowed to work as mechanisms already exist and are deliberately avoided. The Government's, and the Tony Blair Institute's claim it will help is a transparent ruse to bring in the ID card by leveraging much of the public's disgust at the cultural erosion, high immigration, and those illegally in the country. Once in, more Government departments will make use of it, businesses like banks will happily adopt it, other forms of ID will be demoted in their eyes, e.g. you can choose between central ID for online registration, or to pop into your nearest, still-open branch over in the next county. By making a single ID widespread across many streams of life, greater analysis of our activities will be possible, and from that the need to ‘do something’ to centrally plan an outcome. Probably a useless outcome unless seeking world-stage anointment with false virtue. We've already had a taste of social control by Government digital ID: the NHS Covid app giving access to restaurants and pubs during the bonkers ‘At what cost?’ lockdowns. A better implemented, less hurried, more planned system will allow additional government rationing. Yes, it could be done at the moment, but linking together passport number, National Insurance number, credit card numbers, bank accounts, email addresses, mobile numbers, postal addresses, car licence-plates, and facial recognition is beyond the UK state's ability to implement. A single digital ID will bring down the cost giving the hubristic blob more tools in their arsenal. -- Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2025-11-04 20:00 Check to whom you are replying Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... https://dorset.lug.org.uk New thread, don't hijack: mailto:[email protected]
