NO2ID

A growing scandal over the government’s loss of the personal data of 25 million British people last week could carry unexpected consequences, according to a poll by Populus published in The Times. 55 per cent of respondents think the incident proves the government would be unable to handle the introduction of smart identification cards and should abandon plans to do so.

In 2006, the House of Commons approved the Identity Cards Act, effectively creating Britain’s National Identity Register (NIR). The NIR is due to store up to 49 different items on everyone living in the country, including fingerprints, DNA, home address and telephone numbers. The legislation stipulates that, starting on 2009, everybody in Britain will hold a "smart" biometric ID card linked to the national register. The card will be required for access to public services such as doctors’ surgeries, unemployment offices, libraries and others.

That's news to me concerning everyone from 2009.