Saturday, May 20, 2006
Stolen passports
In the past two years more that half a million UK passports have been lost or stolen.
Whilst the Government, in crisis over a succession of immigration disasters, presses assurances that "not all lost or stolen documents will be used in connection with fraud", it's clear that a large number, perhaps the majority, will have fallen into the hands of criminal organisations and will be made available to people smugglers and terrorists.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg says it's a warning of the abuses likely to be seen with ID cards.
A friend suggested that didn't make sense because "ID cards will be biometrically encoded, rendering them useless to anyone except bona fide holders."
But what if someone steals my identity without my knowledge, then registers for an ID card in my name before I do?
His biometric details will then be attached to my identity: he will have the ultimate proof (eg the ID card) that he is me.
Whilst the Government, in crisis over a succession of immigration disasters, presses assurances that "not all lost or stolen documents will be used in connection with fraud", it's clear that a large number, perhaps the majority, will have fallen into the hands of criminal organisations and will be made available to people smugglers and terrorists.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg says it's a warning of the abuses likely to be seen with ID cards.
A friend suggested that didn't make sense because "ID cards will be biometrically encoded, rendering them useless to anyone except bona fide holders."
But what if someone steals my identity without my knowledge, then registers for an ID card in my name before I do?
His biometric details will then be attached to my identity: he will have the ultimate proof (eg the ID card) that he is me.
