18 January 2007
GET GOING - GET GROWING - FOR ID-DAY
NO2ID has declared 26th March 2007 as 'ID-Day' and our network across the UK has already begun preparations for coordinated action across the UK - but we need YOUR help.
Why 26th March? Because this is the day, according to recently-leaked government documents, on which the first ID interrogation centres will be opening their doors for business. NO2ID wants to ensure that this moment is marked in a way that will grab the nation's attention. We have just TEN weeks to organise ourselves for ID-Day.
To be effective we have to reach out and engage with more people. All the polls show there are literally millions of natural ID opponents in the country - we need your help to help them find the campaign. If every one of our registered supporters were to enlist just *five* others, and just ONE of those six became a paid up member, NO2ID would become the largest civil liberties group in the UK overnight. We are already one of the most active.
We have launched a new format petition sheet to help in this effort. The new design will, we hope, make reading people's handwritten details much easier for our hard-working office volunteers.
You can download the PDF here: http://www.no2id.net/downloads/forms/NO2IDpetition.pdf
Please print off copies, and use them whenever and wherever you can: at any appropriate social occasion or location.
Send all completed sheets to NO2ID, Box 412, 19-21 Crawford Street, London W1H 1PJ.
Thank you for your help - every new supporter helps.
What's next?
CALLING ALL LONDON... CALLING YOUNG PEOPLE...
NO2ID is holding an action planning meeting at 7pm on Thursday, 25th January for all London-based local group organisers, volunteers and especially young people (16-24) who want to get active in opposing the database state. If you haven't got involved before but want to DO something about encroaching state control of your personal information, now's your chance.
The meeting will be held at NO2ID HQ - Southbank House, Black Prince Road (off Albert Embankment), London SE1 7SJ - and everyone is welcome BUT space is limited, so please RSVP to Adam McGreggor [national.secretary@no2id.net] if you are *definitely* going to make it.
TIME: 7:00pm
DATE: 25th January 2007
VENUE: Southbank House, Black Prince Road, London SE1 7SJ
Local groups
We have groups all around the country and in 36 of the 69 locations of ID interrogation centres. If you can help to set up a local group in one of the remaining towns then please contact us at (office@no2id.net). A full list of local groups can be found at (www.no2id.net/localGroups) , a list of the interrogation centres can be found at (www.no2id.net/getInvolved/idCentres.php) , there is also a detailed discussion of the interrogation centres on our forum (http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=13329)
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 Café 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 Saturday 27th January, Saturday 17th February, and every third Saturday until at least March. Location Map: 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 Christmas and Hogmanay 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. 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 aim to have the stall up and running most Saturdays, and new volunteers are always very welcome. You can see photos of our stall and group contact details at: www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/
19th January - Dumfries NO2ID Inaugural Meeting
Friday, 19th January 7pm. The inaugural meeting of the Dumfries NO2ID local group will be held. Anyone in the Dumfries area who would like to either learn more about the issues or get involved in the campaign is invited to attend. Further details from dumfries@no2id.net
23rd January - Glasgow NO2ID Meeting
Tuesday, 23rd January 7.30pm. The first Glasgow NO2ID meeting of in Mono (10 King St, Glasgow, G1 5QP). This meeting will offer us an opportunity to start making preparations for ID-Day. Everyone is very welcome to attend! Map: (www.glasgow-no2id.org.uk/meeting.html). (Alternative venue if necessary: Laurie's bar)
25th January - NO2ID Swindon planning meeting
Thursday, 25th January 7.30pm at Clifton Inn, Clifton street, Swindon (off Kings Hill). For more information contact swindon@no2id.net
29th January - Colchester NO2ID First Meeting
Monday, 29th January, 8pm, venue to be confirmed. The new Colchester NO2ID group will be holding an initial planning meeting. Those interested in attending or otherwise helping with the Colchester campaign should contact Barry O’Connell, at colchester@no2id.net
1st or 8th February (tbc)- Hackney NO2ID Pub Fingerprinting flyering pub crawl
Thursday 1st or 8th February, Hackney NO2ID will be going on a pub crawl, distributing 'pub fingerprinting' flyers and to see how responsive landlords are to samples of the NO2ID beer mats. Volunteers who fancy going for a pint for freedom should contact (hackney@no2id.net). Next Hackney meeting is Tuesday 6th February, see above for venue details.
5th February - NO2ID Highbury Meeting
Monday, 5th February 6.30pm for a 7pm start at Jorene Celeste at 153 Upper Street, Islington. This meeting will be concentrating on planning activities for the 'ID Day' on 26th March. If you have any ideas or suggestions to make then please come along. For more details contact highbury@no2id.net
7th February NO2ID Brighton Public Meeting - Patient Privacy in the Database State
Wednesday, 7th Feb, 7pm - 9pm at Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton. The Government is planning to upload all of our patient records onto a new database system called the NHS spine. They claim it will allow paramedics quick access to medical information on the scene of an accident but who other than paramedics will be viewing this information? What happens when the information on the database is incorrect? And will this system link in with the surveillance 'audit trail' built into the ID cards system? Speakers: Prof. Ross Anderson, Cllr. Helen Wilkinson, Duncan Campbell, Dr. Bob Brecher.
13th February - NO2ID Swindon Public Discussion - 'Who’s Identity is it anyway?'
Tuesday, 13th February 7.30pm at Pilgrim Centre, Swindon. The discussion will be chaired by Brunel FM's News Editor Keith Stainer. Joining him on the panel will be: Michael Wills MP – Labour, Swindon North, Cllr Justin Tomlinson – Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon North, Cllr Martin Wiltshire - Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon South, Anna Ellis - Database Specialist, Robert Buckland - Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon South, Tel Hudson - Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Swindon North, Bill Hughes - Green Party Parliamentary Candidate, Stephen Halden - UKIP Parliamentary Candidate
23rd March - NO2ID Norwich: Public Meeting
Friday, 23rd March 2007 7pm-9pm at Hellesdon Community Centre, Middleton Lane, Hellesdon NR6 5SR. Norwich NO2ID will be holding a public meeting, speaker details TBC. All are welcome. Map: http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?pc=NR65SR
What just happened?
New look NO2ID forums
The NO2ID online discussion forums have been revamped for the new year. Our forums are the place to discuss the issues surrounding ID cards and the database state and to plan action or promote events and meetings.
See http://forum.no2id.net/
The end of privacy? - more data-sharing plans emerge
The government has released the annual report for the Transformational Government Strategy. It reveals that a new data-sharing strategy is planned for publication by summer 2007. The government is trying to sell data sharing to the public as a way of helping people, as part of the "social exclusion action plan". A Cabinet Committee (MISC3129) is developing the Government’s strategy for data-sharing across the public sector.
See http://www.cio.gov.uk/documents/annual_report2006/trans_gov2006.pdf
You can comment on the report at http://www.commentonthis.com/tfg/
Also see our forum for more details of data sharing: http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=14832
Germany pushes EU-wide biometric ID
Germany, which took over the EU presidency on 1 January, wants to "harmonise the use of biometrics in visas, passports, residence permits and identity documents in the EU". Under the slogan "Living Europe safely", the German presidency plans to emphasise law and order issues. Increased cross-border police cooperation and data exchange are major agenda items. Often, a national government's particular European hobbyhorses do not outlive its six-month presidency. But Germany has neatly sidestepped that safeguard by getting the next two presidencies (Portugal and Slovenia) signed up to a strongly pro-surveillance "18-month plan". This includes a review of the current EU data protection directive. In December, the German interior minister reportedly called the Internet a "training camp for terrorists".
Read the Work programme for the German EU Presidency at http://tinyurl.com/3a8q9o (PDF)
Read the 18-month joint programme at http://tinyurl.com/3xhrkd (PDF)
Télé réalité
Is there too much surveillance in France? "Oui" voted 81.7% of the studio audience at the end of a French television debate this January. "Well of course you all have this feeling of being watched," shrugged the losing speaker. "You're on TV."
"ID" in the news
Microchips for mentally ill planned in shake-up - The Telegraph 17/1/07
Radical measures for tackling crime - ranging from monitoring the behaviour of the mentally ill with radio chips to hormone injections for sex offenders — are to be considered by the Government in a wide-ranging policy review ordered by Tony Blair.
http://tinyurl.com/3b688c
Government to relax data sharing laws - vnunet.com 15/1/07
Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce plans today to shake up the rules governing data protection within government departments. The plans are expected to change the restrictions on government departments sharing personal data on UK citizens in an effort to improve public services, according to Minister for Works and Pensions John Hutton.
http://tinyurl.com/2n7tul
Blair’s Super Database – a vision of madness - PJC Journal 15/1/07
Tony Blair thinks that creating a super database for everyone in Britain is a good idea, then ponder that combined with all his new laws lets look at the story of Average Joe Soap, clean, honest living man. In a free society, the rights and laws protect the individual from the government. In a dictatorship, the rights and laws protect the government from the people.
http://tinyurl.com/yjtd7f
Whitehall plan for huge database - BBC News Online 14/1/07
A giant database of people's personal details could be created at Whitehall under government plans which ministers say will help improve public services.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6260153.stm
Tories attack data-sharing plans - BBC News Online 14/1/07
A plan to share people's personal details between government departments on a database would be a threat to privacy, the Conservatives say. Shadow constitutional affairs secretary Oliver Heald accused the government of "moving one step closer to a 'Big Brother' state".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6260767.stm
UK to review school fingerprinting - The Register 12/1/07
The Department for Education and Skills is to reconsider the fingerprinting of school children after a four year campaign by parents. Jim Knight, schools minister, told Greg Mulholland, campaigning LibDem MP for Leeds North West, in a letter sent on 12 December, that he would "update the guidance on the use of biometric technologies" by schools.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/12/kiddyprint_review/
Public login plan under fire - Computing 4/1/07
Government plans for a single authentication system for citizens accessing public services online may be derailed by procurement issues branded by one industry insider as ‘rank bad practice’.
http://tinyurl.com/w5z7m
(Please send me any items of interest you encounter - Editor (newsletter@no2id.net) )
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