Birth, Marriage, Death and the Minister for Identity
Posted on Friday, October 12th, 2007 by Home Office WatchCategory: ID Cards
1. Did you know there was a minister Responsible for Identity (seriously - that’s what they’re calling her these days).
2. Did you know she’s not just going to be running ID cards, which you’ll register for at 16, but the whole “check in” to “check out” system, as the Home Office is taking over the General Records Office, registrars of birth, deaths and marriage. Essentially they’ll be tracking you from cradle to grave.
The wonderful John Lettice dissects the decision so brilliantly I can only quote:
The uncontentious register that previously existed will, as of next April, be run by an organisation which proposes to make money out of compiling and continually updating the “biographical footprint” of every live individual in the UK.
Don’t forget, they’re going to be merrily selling all that information to government agencies and private companies alike through the planned identity verification service. As John concludes:
Comment : Trackback :If you’re thinking of getting born any time after Q1 2008, you might like to consider doing it somewhere else.
Related posts:
October 12th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Is this decision a product of the cross-govt Identity Management Strategy Group chaired by Sir John Normington (Perm Sec HO)? See http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/events/details.cfm?id=148
See also http://www.legsb.gov.uk/projects/imstandards.php
- a page that also describes a cross-govt Identity Management Standards Group that I hear is supposed to report ‘this autumn’ - or is it?
Google tells (nearly) all!