NO2ID News No. 57
26 October 2006
THE HUNT FOR ID INTERROGATION CENTRES
Once again we need your help tracking down the ID interrogation centres,
due to open at 69 locations around the UK[1] next year. The contract to
supply the offices was won by Mapeley[2]. The exact locations of the
centres have not been revealed, but they can be found via planning
applications. Local people can lodge objections to the
applications. Last weekend in a heroic tight-deadline effort, NO2ID
Cambridge managed to reach two local residents and get them to put in
written objections before Monday's deadline in Ipswich. As we find more
planning applications - or as Mapeley submits them - these
deadlines are likely to come thick and fast. There is thread on the
NO2ID forums[3] where people are currently posting interrogation centre
planning applications as they discover them (this information will
shortly be moved to a page of its own on the main website). Please look
out for local council planning application notices. If you have any
information then please post it to our forum or contact us at
(office@no2id.net).
We would also like advice from anyone with any
planning expertise and able to give us some hints on how to draft good
objections to the applications.
Many thanks to all those who have volunteered to set up new groups in
towns due an interrogation centre. We are still looking for more groups
in the remaining locations[4].
References:
[1] Map of centres -
http://images.thetimes.co.uk/TGD/picture/0,,295266,00.jpg
[2] See 'Passport offices deal won by Mapeley' in Newsletter 41
[3] Planning application details on our forum -
http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=13329
[4] The remaining locations are: Aberdeen, Andover, Armagh,
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blackburn, Boston, Bury St Edmunds, Camborne,
Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Crawley, Derby, Dover, Exeter, Hastings,
Ipswich, Kendal, Kilmarnock, Kings Lynn, Lincoln, Liverpool, Luton,
Maidstone, Middlesbrough, Newport, Northallerton, Northampton, Norwich,
Oban, Omagh, Peterborough, St Austell, Stirling, Stoke on Trent,
Warwick, Wick, Wrexham, Yeovil.
What's next?
Local groups
We have a new local group in Dumfries, one of the places earmarked for
an ID interrogation centre. The group can be contacted at
(dumfries@no2id.net).
We now have local groups up and running or being
setup in 31 out of the 69 locations of the interrogation centres which
are due to open next year. To campaign effectively against ID cards and
the National Identity Register it is essential that we have local
groups in each of thm. If you live
in one of these locations and there is not currently a local NO2ID
group in your area then please consider helping us by setting up a
local group. A full list of local groups can be found at
www.no2id.net/localGroups
Act now to avoid being fingerprinted for a pint!
A Home Office-backed and instigated fingerprinting pubs scheme is being
expanded from Yeovil to Coventry, Hull, Sheffield, Leeds, Gwent,
Nottingham, Taunton and possibly Swindon. Drinkers in Yeovil have their
thumbprints scanned before they enter seven participating pubs. They
must also supply their name, address and date of birth when they
enrolled onto the system. If you are in any of the towns affected,
especially Yeovil, and are willing to do something then send an e-mail
to phil@no2id.net
(please put "pub fingerprinting" in the Subject, as I
get a lot of mail). It appears that Yeovil council have coerced some
pubs into cooperation by threatening to revoke their licence, so we've
asked one of the large beer-drinker's organisations if they'd do
something about this - and they agreed. Full announcement in due
course. Don't get depressed. Don't give in and get a home-brew kit. Get
angry and DO something!
1st Tuesday of the month - Hackney NO2ID monthly meetings
The Hackney local group covering London E8, E5, E9 & N16 areas meets
on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 in Cafe Bohemia by Hackney
Central Station. New support very welcome to help raise awareness over
the coming months.
NO2ID Cambridge Campaign stall
Cambridge NO2ID will be running Saturday street stalls outside
Cambridge Guildhall from 10am onwards on 4th November, and every third
Saturday into the new year. Location: (http://tinyurl.com/eo42r).
Volunteers to help very welcome - contact Andrew Watson via
cambridge@no2id.net,
or on 07710 469624.
Saturdays 1pm - 3pm - NO2ID Edinburgh Campaign stall
After a short break during the Edinburgh Festival NO2ID Edinburgh has
resumed its regular Princes Street campaigning stall on Saturdays. We
shall be at our usual location at the east end of Princes Street,
opposite the Balmoral Hotel, from 1pm - 3pm this coming Saturday. We
use our stall to raise public awareness of the Identity Cards scheme,
collect donations and entries for the NO2ID petition, and also to
increase membership of our group. Please do pop by for a chat if you
happen to be around. We shall be aiming to have the stall up and
running most Saturdays, and new volunteers are always very welcome. You
can see photos of our stall and contact details at:
www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/.
27th October - NO2ID Volunteers Meeting Central London - 'ID in
history'
Friday, 27th October at 7.00pm in the Brockway Hall at Conway Hall, 25
Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn). All are welcome to
NO2ID's next regular volunteers' meeting. The meeting will be on the
theme of ID cards in history. The meeting is free to attend but we will
be asking for donations to help cover the cost of the room hire.
29th October - NO2ID Galashiels kick-off Meeting
Sunday, 29th October at 3pm in the function room, 1st floor, King's
Hotel, 56 Market Street, Galashiels, TD1 3AN. The meeting will provide
an opportunity for people to learn more about the issue, as well as
discussing what actions can be taken locally to aid the campaign. It is
hoped that the meeting will result in the formation of a new local
group in this Borders town that will soon be hosting an ID/passport
interrogation centre. Any questions: please e-mail
(Scotland@no2id.net).
Map: http://tinyurl.com/yhb37p
2nd November - Swindon NO2ID meeting
Thursday, 2nd November - 7.30pm at the Clifton Inn, Clifton street (off
Kings Hill). Very informal. Everyone welcome. For more details contact
swindon@no2id.net
13th November - Shrewsbury NO2ID meeting in Telford
Monday, 13th November at the White Horse in Ironbridge, at 8.15pm on
Monday 13th November. The landlords are anti-ID and they serve
excellent beer. For more details contact shrewsbury@no2id.net
or just
show up on the night.
14th November - Highbury NO2ID Informal Meeting
Tuesday, 14th November 6.30 for a 7pm start at Jorene Celest on 153
Upper Street. All welcome!
25th November - Defy-ID National Gathering
Saturday, 25th November, from 11am onwards at The Sumac Centre in
Nottingham. Meeting to discuss opposition to ID Cards and the National
ID Register. This is not so much a public meeting to discuss the
overall implications of the ID scheme, as a planning day of how we are
going to stop it. See http://www.nottingham-defy-id.org.uk/gathering
29th November - NO2ID Public meeting: Civil liberty vs. the
database state
Wednesday, 29th November, 7.00pm - 9.00pm at Clore Lecture Theatre,
Huxley Building, Imperial College - Queen's Gate/Prince Consort Road,
South Kensington, London SW7. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, QC, MP and Henry
Porter (further speakers to be confirmed), consider where we go from
here. The Identity Cards Act 2006 is law, and must be repealed, but
meanwhile the government is already working on extending its scope,
through "information sharing" across the public sector and an "Identity
Management Action Plan" to be produced by the end of this year. What
new threats does this offer to personal liberty? How can the slide to
the database state be halted? Open to all.
29th November - Channel 4 documentary to look at ID cards
A documentary looking at privacy intrusive technology is to be
broadcast on Channel 4 in November. In the programme, called 'We Know
Where You Live', journalist Henry Porter will explore how a number of
new technologies are being used to support an authoritarian push
against our privacy and civil liberties - including ID cards. The
documentary will air on 20th November at 9pm and 29th November at 10pm
on More 4.
What just happened?
NO2ID Edinburgh at the Scottish National Party Conference, Perth
NO2ID campaigners attended the SNP Conference in the Perth Concert Hall
earlier this month. NO2ID Edinburgh was there in time to set up its
campaigning stall by the entrance during the couple of hours when
delegates were arriving and the media circus was getting into full
swing. The SNP is, of course, firmly opposed to identity cards, and so
there were many welcome expressions of support from delegates. Jimmy
Reid of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders fame and a recent convert to the SNP
made a brief friendly aside as he entered the conference hall.
NO2ID's new Activ8 film
NO2ID launched a new film on the Community Channel website last week as
part of 'Activ8'. The film, 'In the name of security', which is in two
parts is a dark vision of an all-too-possible future under the
government's proposed ID scheme. A slightly longer version than the one
on the Community Channel site can check be seen at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9fSLlJQRKU.
Many thanks to Ric Forster
and all those involved for the fantastic film and for allowing us to
use it. Activ8 is a joint venture set up by the Community Channel and
BBC Action Network. The project will follow eight social activists and
their campaigns on TV, the web and broadband for the next 12 months.
See http://www.communitychannel.org/content/view/908/101/
NO2ID's Guy Herbert writes Times op-ed piece
Last week the Times published an op-ed piece by NO2ID's general
secretary Guy Herbert on the dangers of ID cards and the 'stalker
state'. Guy eerily described the modern state as a stalker that knows
everything you do and uses CCTV cameras and the growing number of
databases to control the population. Guy pointed out that: "a
controlled society is a fearful, passive one, where the desire for
safety strangles change because people are afraid to stand out, to move
off approved paths". Guy will be speaking at the Battle of Ideas,
organised by the Institute of Ideas with The Times, on October 28-29 (
see www.battleofideas.co.uk).
See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2410540,00.html
UKIPS staff strike as passports rise but pay doesn't
On October 13th a one day strike involving up to 2,500 members of the
Public and Commercial Services Union(PCS) working for the UK Identity
and Passports Service (UKIPS) caused severe disruption across the UK.
Over 95% of appointments cancelled and only a handful of passports were
issued. Staff are angry that whilst the cost of a passport has gone up
by 50% in the last twelve months many have seen their pay rise below
the cost of inflation by just 1%. It will be interesting to see what
effect poor industrial relations at UKIPS have on the forthcoming ID
interrogations centres opening next year around the country.
See http://www.pcs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=905189
RFIDs: Europeans want legislation
Only 15% of the respondents to the European Commission's online
consultation on RFIDs think that industry self-regulation would be
enough to protect their privacy. 55% want the EU to legislate on the
issue. The figures were announced by Information and Media Commissioner
Viviane Reding in Brussels on 16 October, at the end of the
consultation.
UKIPS won't test biometrics
It has emerged that the UK Identity and Passport Service(UKIPS) won't
be testing biometrics properly before it launches live ID cards. UKIPS
was slated by the House of Commons Science &Technology
committee, and has been forced to publish a response. -
Which it used as an excuse to attack the LSE, which has
(coincidentally) just published a report on the government's recent
so called 'Dobson' cost report.
See
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2167262/id-test-plans-fuel-controversy
Captain pop sings against ID cards
An anti-ID card song and video, 'Your Papers Please', has been released
by Captain Pop. The track is from their album 'Shutup and sing' which
is available from their website. Captain Pop describe themselves as "a
co-operative crew of musicians and singers in love with Pop music".
Captain Pop resides in 4 different counties spread around the UK. Some
of them have played with mighty big bands on TOTP, others play the
local pub. The band also have details of forthcoming gigs on their
website. See http://www.captainpop.com for
more details and watch the
video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FACF4zw4CG4
"ID" in the news
Government conceals ID cards reviews - Computer Weekly 24 October
2006
The government this week strengthened its opposition to disclosing the
Gateway reviews of the ID cards programme, arguing that publishing any
information about the reviews could undermine their usefulness. Last
week, Computer Weekly disclosed that the Home Office is spending
tax-payers’ money to fight an order from the information commissioner,
Richard Thomas to publish the reports.
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2006/10/24/219362/Government+conceals+ID+cards+reviews.htm
DNA database 'should include all' - Daily Telegraph 24/10/2006
Tony Blair called yesterday for the national DNA database to be
expanded to include every citizen. He said there should be no limit on
the development of the database because it was vital for catching
serious criminals. Downing Street said later that no thought had been
given at this stage to requiring everyone to give a DNA sample,
although they will have to give scans of their eye and fingerprints for
a passport and eventually a national identity card.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/24/ndna24.xml
Passport police wipe smiles off applicants' faces - TheRegister.com
24/10/06
The Identity and Passport Service [UKIPS] shredded the travel plans of
their sometime nemesis - Simon Davies of campaign group Privacy
International. On Monday he [...] was told he couldn't renew his
passport [...] because an inch of laminate covering the data page of
his passport had come free.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/25/pedantic_passport/print.html
Estonian eID card passes 1 million threshold - europa 23/10/06
The number of eID cards issued in Estonia has exceeded 1 million.
Nearly 90% of the Estonian population between the ages 15 and 74 now
has a valid eID card. Mari Pedak noted that a number of changes will be
made as a result of early experiences with the card. In particular,
from January 2007, the validity period of the card will be reduced from
ten years to five, while the validity of the certificates on the chip
will be extended from three years to five.
http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/6216/194
ID cards plan remains "worryingly vague" - Silicon 23/10/06
The government's ID cards plan and cost estimates remain "worryingly
vague", according to academics at the London School of Economics (LSE).
The LSE response follows the Home Office's first "section 37" report,
which will be given to parliament every six months, on the latest cost
estimates for the UK's national ID cards scheme.
http://www.silicon.com/publicsector/0,3800010403,39163460,00.htm
Government plays safe with ID card roll-out - Computer Weekly
20/10/06
The government yesterday confirmed that it intends to de-risk its
£5.4bn ID card programme by rolling the project out in a gradual
incremental way rather than take a big bang approach. The Treasury has
appointed Sir James Crosby, former chief executive of HBOS, to head a
group of public and private sector specialists to make recommendations
on identity management by Easter next year.
http://tinyurl.com/yf9myg
The limits of liberty: We're all suspects now - The Independent
19/10/06
Identity cards. Number-plate surveillance. CCTV. Control orders. The
list of ways in which the Government has sought to manipulate and
define the limits of our liberty grows ever longer. The trouble is that
it’s happening so very quietly, so very discreetly that few really see
it. You have to concentrate very hard to understand what’s going on and
put the whole picture together because so much has been buried in
obscure corners of legislation.
http://www.rinf.com/columnists/news/must-read-the-limits-of-liberty-were-all-suspects-now
Academics set up wiki to monitor NHS IT - eHealth Insider 18/10/06
The 23 academics who wrote to Parliament outlining their concerns about
the progress of the National Programme for IT have set up a wiki to
track media reports and act as a resource for NHS IT. The NHS 23 wiki,
available at http://editthis.info/nhs_it_info/,
features links to
articles tracking problems with various suppliers and coverage of the
academics' open letter and the agreed statement.
http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/item.cfm?ID=2204
Publication details: © NO2ID 2010 - This document may be freely redistributed
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