NO2ID News No. 101

3 July 2008

++ MAKING CONNECTIONS ++

14 leading figures in the UK aviation industry have spoken out against the ID scheme. In a strongly worded letter to the Home Secretary, they express their "determined opposition" and highlight that enrolment on the National ID Scheme will provide "no additional security" - indeed it risks creating a "false sense of security".

Such vocal opposition represents a serious blow to the government's plans. And it is the sort of resistance that YOU can help NO2ID to spread at all levels, by using connections you already have.

You may be a member of a professional body, a club or association. You may volunteer or support a charity. You may be active in your church, mosque, synagogue or temple. You don't have to be a member of a political party or union. The organisation doesn't have to be national, in fact it's often easier to start local.

What we'd like you to do is simply ask people in the organisation what they know about the National Identity Scheme.

You could write a letter or speak to the leaders, or raise it at your next meeting. Talk to other members of the group. The point is to get people thinking about the scheme. The more people find out, the less they like it - and the more likely they are to do something about it.

Making connections is more important than ever. And you can certainly raise awareness of the ID scheme without being an expert in it. Please ask the question. You may be pleasantly surprised by the response.

What's next?

+ Help wanted +

NO2ID needs a part-time office manager to get on top of its administration (no pay at the moment but we might scrape together some funding for what is a very important role). The right person will be fanatically neat and organised and have experience in an admin role.We are also looking for meticulous people to do data-entry to maintain our membership and supporter records. A couple of hours at a time on a regular basis. Contact general.secretary@no2id.net if you can help

+ Request for volunteers +
NO2ID is looking for someone to run the NO2ID Myspace page. Please email Matty Mitford on local.groups@no2id.net if you think you might be able to help.

5th July � NO2ID at Open Tech
Saturday, 5th July at ULU, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY. NO2ID will be running a couple of sessions at this event which is an informal one-day conference on technology, society and low-carbon living. Doors open at 10am; the event starts at 10.30am. Tickets are £5 on the door.
See http://www.ukuug.org/events/opentech2008

+ LOCAL GROUPS NEWS +

We now have local groups in 44 of the 69 proposed locations for interrogation centres - of which just 3 have yet to open. Parliamentary answers indicate that the most active centres are: Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Newport, Peterborough and Sheffield.

For information on your nearest interrogation centre, see www.no2id.net/getInvolved/idCentres.php. If you can help set up a local group in one of the remaining locations, or anywhere else in the UK, please contact Matty on local.groups@no2id.net

+ Aylesbury +

+ 15th July - Inaugural NO2ID Aylesbury Meeting +
Tuesday, 15th July 7.30pm at The Bricklayers Arms : 19 Walton Terrace, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 7QY. Contact: Neil Briscoe at aylesbury@no2id.net

+ Bedford +

+ 12th July - NO2ID Stall at Bedford River Festival +
Bedford NO2ID has been re-established and will be running a stall at the Bedford River Festival on Saturday 12th July. Volunteers to help very welcome - contact Bob Finnie (bedford@no2id.net).

+ Cambridge +

+ 2nd August - NO2ID Cambridge Stall +
Saturday, 2nd August at 10am in the usual spot outside Cambridge Guildhall. Location Map: http://tinyurl.com/eo42r. As ever, volunteers to help very welcome - please email cambridge@no2id.net, or text/call Andrew on 07710 469624 if you can make it..

+ Camden & Islington +

7th July - Camden & Islington NO2ID Meeting
Monday, 7th July 8pm at The Castle, 54 Pentonville Road. We cover our table with NO2ID flyers. Any enquiries camden@no2id.net

+ Cardiff +

+ Cardiff NO2ID gets new facebook page +
Supporters with a facebook account can now view Cardiff NO2ID's new facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15482803163&ref=ts

+ 4th July - Cardiff NO2ID on 98.7FM +
Friday, 4th July, 12.45pm. One of Cardiff's two coordinators, Michael Richards will be conducting a brief telephone interview with Radio Cardiff (98.7 FM - www.radiocardiff.org) on the subject of our forthcoming benefit gig and the reasons for it, possibly with a Plaid Cymru councillor. You can listen online at (www.radiocardiff.org).

+ 11th July - NO2ID Benefit Gig at KOKO Gorillas Cardiff +
Friday, 11th July at Koko Gorillaz, Miskin Road, Cathays, Cardiff. Sicknote, New State Radio, Cosmo, The Fix Up and Lou Noble will be providing plenty of entertainment in Cardiff's first NO2ID benefit gig. All profits will go to the NO2ID campaign.

+ 16th July - NO2ID Cardiff Meeting +
Wednesday, 16th July 7.30pm Shot in the Dark (City Road), Cardiff. Monthly meeting and planing of future action and events. Email cardiff@no2id.net for more info.

+ Cromer +

+ 7th July - Cromer NO2ID First Meeting +
Monday, 7th July 7:30pm, at The White Horse Inn, West Street, Cromer.Thereafter meetings will be at the same time and venue on the first Monday of the month.

+ Dorking +

Monthly meetings at 7.30pm every first Tuesday of the month at The Lincoln by Dorking main line station. Street stalls once a month in Dorking and once a month in a nearby town. Anyone from Dorking or surrounding towns interested in helping out is very welcome. Please come along or email (dorking@no2id.net).

+ 25th September - Question Time on ID Cards and the Database State +
Details to be confirmed.

+ Edinburgh +

Saturdays 1pm - 3pm - NO2ID Edinburgh street stall
Every week, weather permitting, you will find our campaigning stall at the east end of Princes Street, opposite the Balmoral Hotel. Do drop by for a chat. New volunteers - please contact John (edinburgh@no2id.net), and for more group information see http://www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/

+ Glasgow +

Most Saturdays 2pm - NO2ID Glasgow street stall
Most Saturdays there are stalls in Glasgow city centre (usually Buchanan Street) from about 2pm. Volunteers are always welcome, please contact Geraint if you would like to help: glasgow@no2id.net

+ Kensington and Chelsea +

+ 6th July - Kensington and Chelsea NO2ID Stall +
Sunday, 6th July we will be taking part in the street fair in Hogarth Road, London SW5. Volunteers are needed to help man the stall and talk to people. Please contact Jill Manasseh at kensington@no2id.net if you can help.

+ Leeds +

+ 3rd July - Leeds NO2ID Meeting (1st & 3rd Thursdays of the month) +
Thursday, 3rd July 7pm at the Peanut Gallery at Leeds Student Union building. You can email leeds@no2id.net for directions, or if you have any other questions about the meeting or NO2ID in general. For future reference, we will be holding meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month, and street stalls on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays.

+ Liverpool +

+ 8th July - Liverpool NO2ID Meeting +
Tuesday, 8th July 7.30pm at Cooper's Bar, Lime Street Station, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JD.

+ Manchester +

+ 4th July - Manchester NO2ID at "Red Friday", Bolton +
Friday, 4th July. Manchester NO2ID Co-Ordinator Dave Page may be speaking at the Bolton socialist discussion group "Red Friday" on identity cards and the Database State.

+ 6th July - Beech Road Festival, Chorlton, Manchester +
Sunday, 6th July from 11am (for noon start). Manchester NO2ID will have a stall at the Beech Road Festival in Chorlton. This lively community festival promises to be fun and friendly, and an ideal opportunity to engage Chorlton residents in a discussion on the database state. We could use a few more volunteers for the stall, so please e-mail manchester@no2id.net or just turn up on the day.

+ 12th July - Manchester NO2ID Street Stall +
Saturday, 12th July 2pm-4pm in St. Ann's Square to raise awareness among the public and engage people in discussion about the National Identity Register. You don't need any experience or equipment, just a bit of time to spare and a friendly smile!

+ 16th July - Manchester NO2ID Monthly Meeting +
Wednesday, 16th July, 7pm in the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane, Manchester. Sadly, this venue is not wheelchair-accessible; please contact us on manchester@no2id.net if you have accessibility needs. This month, due to a double booking, we will be meeting in side area just off the main bar rather than in our usual function room.

+ 17th July - - "Freed Up" Poetry Night, Manchester +
Thursday, 17th July, 7pm at the Green Room on Whitworth Street, Manchester. Manchester NO2ID and Freed Up present a night of poetry on the theme of "Identity". Come along and enjoy the poetry, or bring your own contribution.
See http://www.myspace.com/freeduppoets and http://www.greenroomarts.org/

+ Oxford +

+ 6th July - NO2ID Oxford at the Cowley Road Carnival +
Sunday, 6th July from noon. This is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the government's scheme, but the carnival is 6 hours long so we are definitely going to need some helpers. Please let us know if you can lend a hand (oxford@no2id.net). The day will be split into 3 shifts: 1200-1400, 1400-1600 and 1600-1800. If you have any preference which shift you help on let us know that too.

+ 9th July - NO2ID Oxford Meeting +
Wednesday, 9th July 8pm at the Mitre on the High Street, Oxford.

+ Sheffield +

+ 14th July - 1st NO2ID Sheffield Meeting +
Monday, 14th July 8pm at Millhouses Public House, 951 Abbeydale Road,S7 2QD. All welcome. Please bring a friend. Further details: Steven Montgomery (sheffield@no2id.net). If you can't make it to the meeting then you should join the Sheffield mailing list at http://lists.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id.sheffield for further updates from the group.

+ Shrewsbury +

+ 5th July - Shrewsbury NO2ID Street Stall +
Saturday, 5th July 10.30am to 12.30pm on Pride Hill in Shrewsbury, weather permitting. Drop by just to sign the petition, or you can borrow a high-vis vest and help out on the stall.

+ 14th July - Shrewsbury NO2ID Meeting +
Monday, 14th July 7.15pm until after 9pm in The Armoury, Shrewsbury (www.armoury-shrewsbury.co.uk). All welcome. Most of us will be eating there, or you can just come along for a drink.

+ Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells +

+ 7th July - Public Discussion: "David Davis and the Surveillance State" +
Monday, 7th July 7.30-9.00pm at the Angel Centre. Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells NO2ID will host a public discussion on growing concerns about the Database State as highlighted by David Davis, the ex Shadow Home Secretary. In his resignation statement Davis cited plans for the 'most intrusive identity card system in the world' and a 'database state opening up our private lives to the prying eyes of official snoopers and exposing our personal data to careless civil servants and criminal hackers'. Those who would like to share their views on the government's plans for the Surveillance State and the shifting boundary between state and individual are most welcome to join in the discussion.

+ Yorkshire +

+ 5th July - Haltemprice & Howden By-Election +
Saturday, 5th July. Yorkshire NO2ID will be taking the message of Identity Cards and the Database State to the streets in the weekend preceding the Haltemprice & Howden By-Election. Naturally we won't be endorsing any particular candidate but we hope to raise the profile of the issue both among voters and in the national media who will be covering events. NO2ID supporters from across the country will be heading over to lend a hand - but the more the better! If you're able to go along and help out, please contact Yorkshire co-ordinator James Eldon-Baker on yorkshire@no2id.net

What just happened?

+ NO2ID Campaigners Arrested at "Public" Meeting +

On Monday (30th June) nine NO2ID campaigners were arrested after they staged a peaceful protest at an invitation only Home Office so-called "public consultation". NO2ID's protest was an entirely peaceful and lawful attempt to publicise the Home Office's shifty semi-secret proceedings that had been pre-arranged with STV news. There was no intention to frighten or inconvenience any member of the public. The nine were charged with breach of the peace and bound over for 30 days. One of those arrested had a 4 year old child with her. Another of those arrested was a 68 year old retired academic. It took nine hours for the last of the protesters to be released from police custody. John Welford, NO2ID Edinburgh co-ordinator and one of the nine arrested, in a letter to The Scotsman said: "What is it about the current Labour Government that it is unable to tolerate any criticism of its policies and actions? And why is it frightened to engage openly and honestly in proper debate with the citizens of this country, especially about an issue as controversial as compulsory identity cards and the setting up of a vast, intrusive database state? �the government prefers to organise its own heavily controlled focus group meetings and private consultations away in the shadows."

+ Poynter Review of HMRC Data Loss released +

Last week a report was released by Kieran Poynter, Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, into the loss of child benefit records at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) last year. The report points out that: "There was a general lack of awareness across HMRC Business Units, at least prior to the incident, of the importance of information security." It goes on to reveal: "a great deal of work will be required to bring HMRC up to and to sustain the world class standard for information security to which it now properly aspires".
Read the extremely dull report at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/0/1/poynter_review250608.pdf

+ Biometric Assurance Group calls for ID scheme privacy issues to be addressed +

The Biometrics Assurance Group (BAG) has released its annual report which sets out the group's examination of the government's work on biometrics during 2007, focusing particularly on the national identity scheme. The report recommends: "that proper attention be paid to the privacy/consent issue across the National Identity Scheme, BAG considered that the issue was not fully addressed by the publication of the Strategic Action Plan and that the public needed to be better informed over this".
Read the report at http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/downloads/FINAL-BAG-annual-report-2007-v1_0.pdf

+ Austria sets the pace for ID slogans +

The home page of the Austrian government�s e-government website (http://www.help.gv.at) shows the sort of excitement they hope the people of Austria will have for their ID scheme. Their banner features people jumping for joy and is emblazoned with the slogan: "Get yourself activated � get an electronic ID card!" Meanwhile the UK ID web site has gone with a much more sedate: "Everyone�s unique. Let us keep it that way." After all of the recent data losses perhaps they should use: "Everyone�s unique. Let�s see how long that lasts."

"ID" in the news

+ Access to NHS care records to be widened - eHealth Insider 3/7/08 +
The Department of Health is to review the scope of access to the NHS Care Records Service, including possibly making them available to non-NHS staff.
http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/3915/access_to_nhs_care_records_to_be_widened

+ Agreement to speed up travel between the UK and US - News Distribution Service 2/7/08 +
The Home Office today announced plans to speed up travel between the UK and the US for trusted people who move regularly between the two countries. The new scheme would benefit trusted travellers who travel frequently between the two countries, underlining the importance of speedy travel between the UK and the US.
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=372717&NewsAreaID=2

+ Will Scots be willing to carry identity cards? Meg Hillier- The Scottish Herald 29/6/08 +
The Scottish Government has made clear it does not intend to use identity cards. But from 2011 there will be many in Scotland who will use the card as their main form of identification. It will be for the Scottish Government to explain why it refuses to accept this official proof of identity.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2369911.0.Will_Scots_be_willing_to_carry_identity_cards.php

+ We can't leave David Davis to carry the fight on his own - The Observer 29/6/08 +
A report by Independent Scheme Assurance Panel on ID cards found that not only would there be inbuilt mistakes in the database, but that poorer people would suffer a greater risk of fraud.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/29/daviddavis.civilliberties

+ U.S. and Europe Near Agreement on Private Data - New York Times 28/6/08 +
The United States and the European Union are nearing completion of an agreement allowing law enforcement and security agencies to obtain private information � like credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits � about people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/washington/28privacy.html?scp=1&sq=european%20framework&st=cse

+ FBI's all-seeing database project loses funds - The Inquirer 28/6/08 +
On Thursday, the US House Science and Technology Committee voted to deny the FBI $11 million to continue work on a massive database of government records on virtually all American citizens. The vote came after the FBI refused to tell Congress about its plans.
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/06/27/fbi-seeing-database-project

+ Government slammed by data breach reports - Information Age 26/6/08 +
The MoD and HMRC have been hit with enforcement notices from the Information Commissioner�s Office (ICO), following the release of two damning reviews into major data breaches. The departments will be fined if they fail to adopt the recommendations in the Poynter and Burton reports, into the HMRC and MoD respectively.
http://www.information-age.com/home/information-age-today/445601/government-slammed-by-data-breach-reports.thtml

+ Oh well. I wasn�t using my civil liberties anyway - Ideal Government 21/6/08 +
The Economist and YouGov report on the current state of public opinion on some of our favourite issues. Despite Benjamin Franklin's famous advice, the public seems happy to trade a little liberty for a little security.
http://www.idealgovernment.com/index.php/blog/oh_well_i_wasnt_using_my_civil_liberties_anyway/

(Please send me any items of interest you encounter - Editor(newsletter@no2id.net) )

Publication details: © NO2ID 2010 - This document may be freely redistributed in one-to-one communications or physical copies as long as it is reproduced in its entirety including this notice. It may not be mass-mailed without the prior permission of NO2ID.
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