NO 2
ID CARDS (No to
Identity Cards) http://www.no2id.net/index.php Website focussing on the UK
campaign against the proposed introduction of Identity Cards and the National Identities Register which the New Labour Blair/Brown administration are ushering in as an attack on civil liberties in Britain. The idea of all British Citizens carrying ID cards as a safeguard against International Terrorism is absurd. No one would have a card that declares him or her to be a terrorist anyway. The cards, if introduced, will not just tell people your name, address and social security number. They will carry biometric codes, which can be used to access your bank accounts, medical records, and employment details, and more besides. Your entire life will be on file on a credit card sized document. Loss of the card, or its theft from you (for forging purposes) could land you in serious financial and legal hot water. The campaign against the card emphasises how the Nazi Party in the occupied
countries last used such ID cards. Many countries that have tried to introduce them, i.e., Australia, have faced astronomical costs and public protests and have often withdrawn the schemes as unworkable. Many people
ask why citizens with nothing to hide (i.e., criminal records or evil intent) have anything to fear, but the ID card could jeopardise career opportunities, and social interaction beyond merely keeping crime at bay. For people of non-Caucasian origins the need to show an ID card at every turn could be exploited as racist
harassment by the far right. Protesters such as No 2 ID are organised into local groups, i.e., Manchester No 2 ID manchester@no2id.net There are petitions, letter writing campaigns, leaflet distribution activity which always needs more support, etc. There are FAQ’s on ID card issues, and a discussion forum where you can ask about how you can be involved in the campaigns or how an ID card could affect your life. An identity-obsessed society is not a world, which sets value son trust and mutual co-operation. You could find that your rights are dissolved around you, ad the request to see your ID will quickly begin to bog you down in expensive bureaucracy, which you will have to pay for yourself (in more ways than one). This is a campaign that really needs your support. Make donations; buy Tee shirts, badges, etc. Distribute flyers, - warm people in anyway that you can. ID cards are a bar code on your life – all aspects of it – you could find it impossible to get work, a hotel room, a passport, a flight, medical attention, or more besides, without producing your card, possibly many times over. You may well find that in tapping your card through a scanner, (similar to a Chip & Pin card reading machine) someone could gain and store information on you that can then be shared with many other commercial and political bodies without your knowledge or consent. Your Card could expose you to fraud, identity theft (already a major criminal industry), and harassment. You will receive a great deal more unsolicited mail, and when mistakes are made, you could find yourself blacklisted, and prevented from doing much that you would otherwise have every right to do. To maintain your rights and liberties, join the growing campaign to say NO! To ID cards and the National Identity register.