NO2ID

'Back-door' ID cards under fire

By Mark Howarth

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Campaigners claim obscure act is open to massive abuse

CAMPAIGN TO SCRAP AN obscure law that has been branded a "back door to compulsory ID cards" was gaining momentum last night.

Critics claim Section 57 of the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act, which came on to the statute book last year, gives the state extraordinary powers to put Scots under unprecedented day-to-day surveillance.

Data on everything from a citizen's debts to the contents of their shopping trolley to their sexuality could be legally procured, stored and passed on.

Now politicians, academics and anti-ID card campaigners are demanding that the Executive repeal the law.

Human rights lawyer John Scott said: "This piece of legislation may look small but it has the potential to be of vast significance. I'm very surprised to see how this has been done with seemingly little or no scrutiny at all. Those who are more cynical towards those in power would regard Section 57 as fantastic tool of potential oppression and control.

"It has enormous potential to be a portal through which the compulsory ID cards system can pass. If that was not the Executive's intention then I would ask what the harm would be in passing a reassuring amendment to guarantee it won't and can't be used in this way."...

Section57 allows the registrar general to keep a register of personal information about all citizens in Scotland - who are also assigned a unique number. There are no boundaries set for the type and amount of detail held.

The registrar general himself can decide where the data comes from and to whom it is passed with only a ministerial rubber stamp as safeguard. The legislation does not insist on parliamentary scrutiny of his actions.

Section 57 also appears to exploit a loophole in the Data Protection Act whereby information can be processed if deemed necessary by local authorities.

Each file on the register will be tied to a microchipped National Entitlement Card, which one in four Scots now has to access public services such as free bus travel and leisure centre facilities.

Campaigners say it is effectively an ID card and will allow greater surveillance of people's activities as more data banks are fed into the central structure.

NO2ID Scotland, which staged a protest against the cards at Holyrood last week, said the law must be scrapped. Spokesman Geraint Bevan said: "This cannot be what MSPs intended. Section 57 should be quickly repealed."

Green MSP Patrick Harvie said he would be raising questions in parliament. He added: "Legislation has to take into account the worst-case scenario"...

"The SNP in opposition was opposed to the UK proposals for such a scheme so it should have the same objections to an equivalent scheme in Scotland."...

Holyrood passed a motion in 2005 insisting that it rejects the use of ID cards in the Scottish public sector.

Congratulations to No2ID Scotland on this well-publicised start to the Section 57 campaign and best of luck with its progress.

Depressingly the only two reader comments are from the predictable "I live in a foreign country and ID cards here are great the British are all paranoid/have something to hide" and "ID cards are brilliant because they catch criminals and I blame everything bad on the human rights act" brigades.

Yes, it is predictable and depressing. I posted a comment an anti ID cards and database comment and, needless, to say, it wasn't published.

It's very difficult to get your voice heard in the UK.

My post went up after the article straight away, didn't seem to pass through any editing process - perhaps you should have another try.

I bet those comments are generated by some political group or PR agency.