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Britain’s New ID Card Draws Disapproval
In the midst of heavy criticism, Britain launched a new biometric identity card on Thursday.
Government officials claim the card is a crucial tool in the fight against illegal immigration and terrorism.
Critics of the program call the card a waste of money and a breach of civil liberties.
The new program marks the first use of ID cards since the end of World War Two. Initially only foreign nationals from outside the European
Economic Area will be required to have one if they come to Britain to work or study, but the scheme will be expanded to Britons and some others over the next few years.
"We all want to see our borders more secure, and human trafficking, organized immigration crime, illegal working and benefit fraud tackled," said Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
"ID cards for foreign nationals, in locking people to one identity, will deliver in all these areas."
The cards will contain personal details, fingerprints and a facial image
.
Critics oppose the movement, and have vowed to ditch cards for Britons should they win power, and with the Labour government trailing in the polls, the 4.7 billion pound national identity scheme's days may already be numbered.
"It does not matter how fancy the design of ID cards is, they remain a grotesque intrusion on the liberty of the British people," said Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman.
"When voting adults are forced to carry ID cards, this scheme will prove to be a laminated poll tax," he added, referring to the local charge
whose massive unpopularity led to Margaret Thatcher being ousted as prime minister.
The first cards for foreign nationals will be issued in November while from next year anyone working in sensitive areas, such as airport staff, will have to purchase one at a cost of 30 pounds. In the midst of heavy criticism, Britain launched a new biometric identity card on Thursday. ... more -
Prisoner data loss firm allowed to work on database of every child in England
The private firm which lost the details of the entire prison population is being allowed to continue working on the controversial project to build a database of every child in England.
PA Consulting was branded "completely unacceptable" by ministers and lost its three-year contract with the Home Office after an employee mislaid an unencrypted memory stick containing the names, addresses and expected release dates of all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales.
Its other contracts with the Home Office, worth £8million a year, are now under review.
But the firm is being allowed to continue working on the highly sensitive £224million ContactPoint scheme to create a computerised record of the names, addresses, dates of birth, parents, schools and GPs of all 11 million children in England, which has already been delayed by security concerns.
Critics said the involvement of PA Consulting – which is also working on the national ID card scheme – in the project should lead to it being scrapped completely, before any serious mistakes can be made.
Terri Dowty, Director of Action on Rights for Children, said: "PA Consulting has been held responsible for one of the most serious data losses yet, after apparently disregarding specific instructions from the Home Office.
"How can the Government - or anyone else - possibly feel confident that children's ContactPoint data will be safe?" The private firm which lost the details of the entire prison population is being allowed to continue working on the controversial proj... more -
British student arrested in America over gun 'dare'
A British student has been arrested in the US for attempting to buy a gun as part of a £100 bet, police said.
Stephen Jackley, 22, was accused of attempting to buy the firearm from a gun store in Vermont, with a fake ID.
Mr Jackley, who is originally from Devon, is in custody awaiting a US court appearance. A British student has been arrested in the US for attempting to buy a gun as part of a £100 bet, police said. ... more -
Current Promo
Student Work: Promo for the Current TV Channel.
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Mind Explosion
How long are 10 seconds when we are trying to think of an idea...well 10 seconds can be a long time when we feel inspired and our mind start spinning. How long are 10 seconds when we are trying to think of an idea...well 10 seconds can be a long time when we feel inspired and our mind... more
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Supreme Court: IDs needed to vote
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday to uphold an Indiana law that requires voters to show a valid ID in order to vote. Critics argued the law was an unfair burden to the elderly, the poor, and some minority voters who have a difficult time securing identification. The Supreme Court ruled on Monday to uphold an Indiana law that requires voters to show a valid ID in order to vote. Critics argued t... more
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Ben Stein's movie defending "Intelligent Design" being released Apr...
The movie "EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed" is a documentary about how the people promoting ID are claiming to be persecuted by the scientific community, who will not allow ID to be introduced into public schools.
There was a recent court case, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, which determined that Intelligent Design was creationism in disguise. NOVA produced a documentary about the case that can be viewed on-line.
One of the positions the judge cited for his decision to rule against the teaching of ID in the class room was based on evidence found showing “the text referred to as a resource for ID, Of Pandas and People, had originally been a creationist text.”
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/id/
Q: What is science?
Q: Isn't evolution just a theory, not a fact?
Q: What is intelligent design?
Q: Why not teach intelligent design, or creationism, alongside evolution?
These questions can be answered at this link http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/id/defi-qa.html The movie "EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed" is a documentary about how the people promoting ID are claiming to be persecut... more -
UK to be coerced over ID cards
UK campaigners NO2ID this morning enlisted the help of bloggers across the world to spread a leaked government document describing how the British government intends to go about "coercing" its citizens onto a National Identity Register. The 'ID card' is revealed as little more than a cover to create a official dossier and trackable ID for every UK resident - creating what NO2ID calls 'the database state'.
NO2ID's national coordinator, Phil Booth, exhorted bloggers, freedom lovers and anyone who gives a damn about personal privacy to mirror the annotated document on their site.
"The charade is over. While ministers try to bamboozle the British public with fairytales about fingerprints, officials are plotting how to dupe and bully the population into surrendering control of their own identities."
"Biometric ID cards are a sham; a magician's flourish to cover the biggest identity fraud there has ever been."
The document has now been mirrored many times, you can get it here:
http://craphound.com/NIS_Options_Analysis_Outcome.pdf
If you do decide to mirror it again, then do so with the text above. UK campaigners NO2ID this morning enlisted the help of bloggers across the world to spread a leaked government document describing how... more -
Internet Security Fights Cyberwar, Cybercrime, Cyberterror
Threats to our ability to communicate, conduct commerce and retain privacy and trust online are continually on the rise. In addition to identity theft, spam and phishing, concerns include cybercrime, cyberwar, cyberterror, pornography, viruses and network attacks. This video about Internet security issues features interviews shot at the 2007 Internet Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Rio IGF was the second of five annual global events that attract stakeholders from all walks of life who gathered to discuss issues tied to the future of information and communications technologies.
This documentary was produced for Imagining the Internet http://imaginingtheinternet.org , an online resource exposing future possibilities while simultaneously providing a peek back at the past. In it, you will find the words of thousands of people from every corner of the world, from today and from yesterday, making thousands of predictive pronouncements about the future of humankind.
The multimedia section of the site includes short films and dozens of video interviews - all of them about the hopes and fears for the future of networked communications. Imagining the Internet is a project based at Elon University. Threats to our ability to communicate, conduct commerce and retain privacy and trust online are continually on the rise. In addition t... more
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