UK Compulsory National Identity Cards
Entitlement vs Identity
The Home Office initially introduced the idea of Identity Cards as
"Entitlement Cards". They have since dropped that euphemism but have
- perhaps deliberately - created confusion.
The Government has managed to conflate the concepts of "Entitlement"
and "Identity". Many people use the term "Identity Card" when what
they actually arguing for is an "Entitlement Card".
Identity and Entitlement are different.
Identity alone does not prove Entitlement. Example: someone claiming
benefit to which they are not entitled because they are actually
working cash in hand. I could go to the benefit office and prove I'm Trevor
Mendham, but if I lie about working then I'm not entitled to benefit
and that proof of identity is useless.
Nor is Identity necessary to prove Entitlement. Example: I'm
entitled to use the NHS simply because I'm a British citizen;
whether my identity is Trevor Mendham or Satish Patel is irrelevant.
Yes, Identity can be a useful tool in establishing Entitlement, but
Identity is neither necessary nor sufficient to prove Entitlement.
Why not have an anonymous
biometric database? A register of the iris scan of every UK citizen which
is not linked to identity or personal information.
If people really want to talk about Entitlement Cards then let's do
so. But let's not fall for the con trick of assuming that this
necessarily means Identity Cards.
UK ID Cards - Introduction
Contact Trevor Mendham
|
