ID Cards and ID Theft
The ID card project– one of the biggest computer systems imagined– has continued despite increases in costs and delayed completion; but many people are underwhelmed and worried, what with Britain’s troubles with information technology projects in the past. The ID card project is even more complicated than the NHS system, which is getting worse. Nonetheless, politicians continue to sing the ID program’s praises, dismissing probable issues with the system because of its use of biometrics. There have, however, already been problems with the facial recognition software: Baroness Anelay of St Johns was given a demonstration which failed– twice. All because her facial features apparently weren’t distinct enough.
Computer systems all fail at one time or another, and the larger the scope of the project, the greater the chances of malfunction– which is (to say the least) disconcerting when the obligatory ID database consists of sixty million entries. Systems degrade over time, errors develop and these errors build on top of one another, making repair and restoration far more difficult. These errors also leak to other networks and endure whether or not they’ve been dealt with on the original system. Having one’s identity centralized may seem like a good idea in theory, but it can easily complicate matters when that source is flawed. And let’s not forget the susceptibility of computer programs to hacking and manipulation.
ID Card Registry and Further Drawbacks
After awhile all forms of identity will refer to the one listed in the ID card program registry. Fallible people will be dealing with the information in the database and, if the register is incorrect, the other databases will be wrong as well. You don’t need Nostradamus-like foresight to see potential problems here. Your identity will be directly tied to the database rather than with you as a person and, if you are separated from your digital ID, you will no longer have possession of your assets– but someone else might. The ID system was put in place to protect people against identity theft, but in the cruelest sort of irony, people will then be vulnerable to a worse sort of identity theft: loss of all legal and financial identity.
This system has other weaknesses too. ID database workers are as prone to dishonesty, blackmail and other threats as a person in another field. Recently there has also been forewarning by law enforcement experts of possible “sleepers” connected to criminal gangs working within the financial sector, waiting for the opportunity to carry out one large-scale hit. And let’s not forget that a centralized ID database would be the Holy Grail for hackers, a giant bullseye. Identity theft will certainly not be solved by a compulsory ID card system, despite what politicians would have you believe.
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