Vigay.com : Why you should refuse National ID Cards

This is the biggest myth in the book. They will have absolutely no effect on terrorism whatsoever. The Madrid bombers all had valid ID. The 9/11 terrorists even had valid passports. Suicide bombers have ID cards. If you're willing to kill yourself for your cause, what difference does it make if you can be identified or not afterwards, you'll be dead anyway.

2. They are not secure

ID cards can easily be copied. I even have some blank biometric ID cards here. However, there is currently uncertainty as to whether the data on the card will be encrypted using strong encryption techniques. If this is not the case, anyone can buy a card reader from the internet and read the data from the card.
Even if the data is encrypted though, you'll still be able to read the data off it and write it onto a blank card in order to copy it (a bit like people can copy computer games and CDs - after all, if you make an identical copy of the data, you have an exact copy of whatever was written on the card.

The thing you need to bear in mind here is that the average person who is likely to want to check the card is the policeman in the street (if the current plan for a police state continues) and, unless he has a portable card reader that can communicate with the national database, has no way of verifying the ID on the card correctly identifies the holder - other than the photo on the front, which effectively makes it no more secure than an ordinary passport in real-life terms.

3. They will lead to higher crime

On the black market there is always a ready queue for fake ID and passports. Because of the popular myth that ID cards will be more secure and thus un-fakable, people will falsely rely on them for the perceived security of better ID verification. For this reason, stolen and fake ID cards will command a higher price for criminals. There will be higher incentive for terror gangs to obtain cards that they can sell or pass on to other criminals, thus we may even see people mugged for their ID cards, especially if people think they've got to carry them around on their person all the time.

4. They impose on personal freedom and privacy

In order for ID cards to be effective, they need to be checked and verified against a national computer database containing verified information. The government's track record of managing even small scale computer projects is extremely poor. Not only is it impossible to ensure the security and safety of the data stored, but it will be a prime target for just about every hacker and terrorist in the world - after all, who gains access to the data has immense power over your life and freedom. And, just imagine what could potentially happen if hackers got in and changed some of the data held on you....
They can also be used for government classification of different social groups or ethnic origins and in some cases have been known to used to aid ethnic cleansing.

5. They will lead to increased identity theft

As mentioned above, there is no such thing as a secure online computer database. The only guaranteed safe way of protecting data is not to make it available online. This defeats the object of an ID card scheme because police and other agencies (in themselves another unknown) need access to the central database in order to verify the data on your card. Because of the perceived power and control any unauthorised hacker could obtain from the data stored, increased likelihood of identify theft will occur. Not only that, but because the public have a manipulated opinion that ID cards are somehow secure, anyone stealing data from the central database can effectively steal your details and pass themselves off as you - people are less likely to believe your innocence because of the (false) belief that ID cards are secure. Thus, you'll have a harder job to prove your identity should someone fraudulently commit a crime or offence with an ID card with YOUR data on it.

6. They will lull people into a false sense of security

Because the government are manipulating the media and people's understanding of the level of security offered by such a scheme, people will erroneously assume that ID cards represent some higher form of ID verification than existing systems. In effect though, they provide less security than existing systems.
However, because the public will falsely believe them to offer higher security, criminals, terrorists and identity smugglers will be able to command more power and higher prices for fake cards. Crime will rise.

7. Access to personal data is not secure

As already mentioned, there is no such thing as a 100% secure computer database system - unless it is isolated and disconnected from other network systems - which defeats the object of having a central database to verify cards against. Hackers are always leading the battle of computer security. Just look at previous security flaws - the encryption code for DVDs was cracked within a day of protected movies being released, anti-copying technology on CDs has not only been cracked but has proven to be unreliable even on authenticated players. Satellite TV 'Sky' cards have been hacked. Even phone cards have been compromised. I'm sure you've heard the stories of politicians having their phones eavesdropped or messages leaked. Banks and online ecommerce sites have been compromised and customer records stolen. Examining history, it's clear that industry has more resources, funding and expertise than government, yet computers are still hacked. The chances of a government system being secure are extremely low.

Even aside from the data being hacked or accessed by unlawful people, the government and local authorities have an abysmal track record of assuring the security of data entrusted to them. See ukliberty.wordpress.com/data-abuse/ for a long list of data abuses carried out by those in authority.

8. They are a stepping stone to worse things to come

Because ID cards are destined to fail to provide the level of security that the government is touting and predicting, they are merely a stepping stone to more draconian and Orwellian schemes to come. You've possibly heard of implantable micro-chips - currently being developed and tested. However, the public is not ready for this, so the government can't take huge jumps, purely because the public would see through their motives and agenda. Thus, they have to make little steps at a time. That way people won't perceive so much change occurring - until they stop to examine how far things have progressed in a relatively short period of time.
Of course, once ID cards have been seen to fail, the government can start imposing 'more secure' or 'better' schemes for security. They'll admit defeat and once security loopholes and breaches have been publicised, the government will be able to offer an alternative 'solution'; How about implantable chips with your ID stored on them - no card to lose or get stolen! Always with you - and we can even put your medical records on it, just in case you're involved in an accident and doctors need your information urgently! Just look for the excuses in order to manipulate the next stepping stone of global control and your eroded freedom and privacy.

9. They will cost you money

"They're having a laugh!" - but the joke's on you! There are various approximations for the cost of implementing the ID card scheme. Only one thing is certain, again verifiable from past history, all government IT projects go over budget and take far longer to implement than first thought. However, the government is expecting the tax payer to foot the bill of this scheme. Either they'll make a high charge (up to £70 ($150) per ID card per individual) or (more likely) they'll implement it via a form of stealth funding, by perhaps charging a nominal amount for the ID card itself, but increasing other things such as normal passports etc - although why would you need a passport if ID cards are so wonderful, and more secure??? If you still require a passport for security then why is the government touting ID cards in the first place? or are passports required for international boundaries? But wait, perhaps this is all a stepping stone to an international ID card scheme or one-world government. Orwell would be turning in his grave!

10. They don't work

At least not for the uses that the government and media would like you to believe - that of national security and the elimination of terrorism, benefit fraud and other crimes. That's merely the cover story to fool the public. Terrorists aren't deterred by ID cards - in fact, they'll probably be first in the queue to get one. After all, people who actually want ID cards have nothing to hide, have they???
Passports, driving licences and birth certificates can already be faked. ID cards will be no different - apart from the reward for doing so being higher, thus a higher bounty offered by criminals requiring them - thus higher crime.
No, ID cards are an ill-conceived scheme to build a central database of personal records and information, biometric data and merely a stepping stone to a micro-chipped, centrally controlled and manipulated population. OPPOSE THEM NOW!!!

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