ID cards

[Kropotesta]

In the UK. opinions everyone?

[Dyslexia! Well I Never!]

I'll assume you mean as in the ID cards they want to issue in Britan with eletronic storage of personal information on them as well as being photo ID.

Everyone has a simple right to know what information is held about them if it was standardised into a single storage unit and had to be collected upon issue they'd know, also a single card with all info stored electronically upon it would save space... These are however the only benefits I can see.

Whereas the storage of large quantities of information on a person being made into a form that can be physically taken opens up a whole new generation of identity theft. The issue of how much information to place on such a card and who has acess to it. How to be sure of the authenticity of a card would be an issue. What the cards would be used for is also a point that needs to be adressed. For example, would it be like the german ID card that is also used as a passport?

Refine your question conflicting interests so we know what you mean by ID cards. (this would be helped if you gave in your details what country you lived in)

[Mujer Libre]

I think measures like the British ID cards create an atmosphere of panopticism.

What I mean by this is that with measures like this, and the presence of security and CCTV everywhere (amongst other things) people have the knowledge that they are, or may be, watched at any time.

This creates anxiety about behaving in ways that the state considers unacceptable- therefore people regulate and restrict their own behaviour to conform with the state and society's rules, regardless of whether they are actually being observed or not.

It's one of the cornerstones of liberal democracies that the population disciplines itself, and the electronic age has only intensified the sense of observation.

It's worrying because the feeling of being observed at all times not only limits behaviour, it (along with other factors) can limit how people think, and whether they are able of thinking outside the system, or outside of acceptable fact. This is something that we as leftists should be concerned about.

Also, of course, measures like these ID cards will also directly infringe on people, particularly on their movements. I can see them being used to keep leftists away from summits and to reduce access to welfare, among other things.

[Kropotesta]

I'll assume you mean as in the ID cards they want to issue in Britan with eletronic storage of personal information on them as well as being photo ID.

Everyone has a simple right to know what information is held about them if it was standardised into a single storage unit and had to be collected upon issue they'd know, also a single card with all info stored electronically upon it would save space... These are however the only benefits I can see.

Whereas the storage of large quantities of information on a person being made into a form that can be physically taken opens up a whole new generation of identity theft. The issue of how much information to place on such a card and who has acess to it. How to be sure of the authenticity of a card would be an issue. What the cards would be used for is also a point that needs to be adressed. For example, would it be like the german ID card that is also used as a passport?

Refine your question conflicting interests so we know what you mean by ID cards. (this would be helped if you gave in your details what country you lived in)
oops, oh yeah sorry! I did mean the UK however opinions for other countries would be interesting. I'll edit my first post now.

[Demogorgon]

Very against them.

[graffic]

I'm against them for obvious reasons

[Dejavu]

Against no matter where it is in the world.

[RedAnarchist]

All leftists should oppose ID cards. People should not be forced to carry around identification for the benefit of the authorities,.

[Bud Struggle]

Completely against such an abomination. People should be free to be as transparent or as visible to the world in general as they choose.

[Dejavu]

All leftists should oppose ID cards. People should not be forced to carry around identification for the benefit of the authorities,.

Anybody with common sense and at least some inclination for the notion of the right to liberty should be against the IDs. ( though plenty of New Leftists bluntly deny liberty is a natural right of man. Hypocritical? Maybe. Surprising? Not really.)

[F9]

SAY NO TO ID CARDS!slogan from AF and i totally agree with it!

Fuserg9:star:

[Dyslexia! Well I Never!]

So no to an ID card but it's fine to have a passport and a driver's licence. Come to think of it they don't make people act differently (apart of course for the things that they allow one to do) why would an amalgamation of the two crush us into the dirt under the hobnailed boot of capitalsm?

[Joby]

"Papers please"

Yeah, I'm against them.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Who actually supports them? Or rather, what is the nature of the ideology of those who support them?

[Bud Struggle]

"Papers please"

Yeah, I'm against them.

It sounds very much like the Soviet Union before it's fall.

[The Feral Underclass]

Who actually supports them? Or rather, what is the nature of the ideology of those who support them?

It seems that the only people supporting ID cards are the Labour government and their Labour supporters. The Tories don't even support the idea.