WATCHDOG WARNS OF BIG BROTHER-STYLE SYSTEM IF PLANS ARE IMPLEMENTED

[theearthisround]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/755ecb9a-e771-11d9-a721-00000e2511c8.html

Tony Blair's plans for identity cards risk creating a Big Brother-style system of checks in which people are subjected to "unnecessary and disproportionate intrusion" into their privacy, the data protection watchdog has said, writes Christopher Adams.

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Mr Thomas warned that the extent of the information retained on a proposed national identity register was "unwarranted and intrusive". He cited the obligation on people to tell the government all the addresses where they had lived, arguing it was difficult to see the relevance of this information. Other initiatives such as closed circuit television surveillance, automatic number-plate recognition and congestion charging were serving to build a detailed picture of people's lives.

The creation of this detailed data trail of individuals' activities was "particularly worrying". The commissioner was "concerned each development puts in place another component in the infrastructure of a surveillance society".

Meanwhile the London School of Economics published a report suggesting that the cost of ID cards would vastly exceed the government's £5.8bn projection. It said the total cost would be between £10.6bn and £19.2bn, and put a median cost on the scheme of £14.5bn, equivalent to £230 per card.

(more)
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/755ecb9a-e771-11d9-a721-00000e2511c8.html

[Patty Diana]

1. the Times Online had this article on Blairs ID catastrophe

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-2-1672294-2,00.html

[fedsron2us]

2. Only 21 rebel Labour MPs

What a supine bunch of lickspittles this once great party has become.

[D-Notice]

3. Hopefully

more will rebel when the actual vote takes place...

[bennywhale]

4. The only thing that will stop this is mass demonstrations, but that ain't

going to happen cos the only thing the British people care about is their wallet. The government can then "cap" the price like they proposed today say "look what we did for you" and everyone will be happy.

Meanwhile we become the most unfree democracy in the world.

[bpilgrim]

5. mass demonstrations broke out on account of the ILLEGAL WAR

but that didn't stop the establishment either

peace

[bennywhale]

6. True. Oh well we're fucked both ways. Ok mass riots like the poll tax

riots which toppled Thatcher are needed, but that ain't gonna happen.

Britain is walking into a nightmare.