Tag archive for ‘Politics’
Renew your passport – resist compulsory ID card registration
The Government is using passports to coerce you into surrendering control of your identity. Under the guise of improving passport security, the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) will begin forcing all new applicants to register with the ID cards database from April this year. This morning, IPS Chief executive James Hall was in full spin [...]
The truth about protecting your identity from state intrusion
In November last year I wrote to James Hall, Chief Executive of the Identity and Passport Service, to follow up a discussion point from his live webchat on the Number 10 website. I wanted to find out more about the safeguards surrounding access to the National Identity Register (NIR) — the ‘big brother’ database of [...]
ID Cards will “help safeguard civil liberties” says IPS chief
Today I took part in a live webchat with James Hall, chief executive of the Identity and Passport Service, hosted by the 10 Downing Street website. Among the many issues that were discussed, it was suggested that ID cards will bring us a step closer to a surveillance society. This was Mr. Hall’s response: “…it [...]
Fear or terror – which is the greater threat?
The Government has decided to post the UK terror threat level on the home office and MI5 websites. On 1 August, a new public system of alerts will replace the existing mechanism which, despite being secret, was widely leaked and speculated upon. As with the existing system, the new (slightly simplified) threat levels will have [...]