NO2ID News No. 86

7 December 2007

TAKE A STAND - MAKE THE NO2ID PLEDGE

This week we launched The NO2ID Pledge - a way for people personally and
publicly to declare that they will refuse to comply with the government's ID
scheme. It says:

I solemnly and publicly promise that:

• I shall not register for a national identity card
• I shall not supply personal details or fingerprints to a National Identity Register
• I shall not apply for any document or service if joining the National Identity Register is a condition of obtaining it
• I shall not co-operate with any Identity and Passport Service interview concerning my identity.

I also promise by my example to encourage others to do the same."

The pledge is an act of pre-emptive resistance and is, as such, entirely legal. It's something positive that you can do NOW. In fact, there's not much
ID law to break at present - most of the powers in the Identity Cards Act 2006 have yet to be brought into force. The government certainly hasn't made it
illegal to declare you'll refuse to go along with its scheme.

The ID scheme is like a vampire. It has no life of its own, and thrives only if it feeds.

There is its weakness. We, collectively, can choose to starve the Identity and Passport Service. It only works smoothly if few are prepared to face some
inconvenience to resist. It only works at all if a large majority of the population can be hypnotised into thinking that it is just routine, no big deal. If enough of us refuse to be bled willingly, the beast will either starve or show its fangs.

The NO2ID Pledge will lead to civil disobedience only if the government fails to see sense and scrap its monstrous ID scheme. The polls have long said millions
will not submit to being numbered like cattle. Is the government really going to risk trying to make them beg to be branded?

To make pledging straightforward we have created The NO2ID Pledge certificate, for you to fill out and sign in front of a witness. You can find out more and
download certificates from http://www.no2id.net/pledge/

Please don't just print one copy... print five... or fifty and pass them on to people who you think might also pledge. The idea is to spread The NO2ID Pledge
as far and as wide as possible.

Anyone can do it. Anyone can help others do it. And the more who do, the easier it is.

[Note: This is a new pledge, if you signed our previous PledgeBank "refuse" pledge then you can still make this pledge.]

THE NO2ID PLEDGE ON FRICTION.TV

*The new Ministry of Justice is deliberately working to "overcome current barriers to information sharing within the public sector". Ministers insist that
personal details on the proposed National Identity Register will be "protected by biometrics" when they can't be. The government clearly hasn't changed its
tune, so it's time we did something... NOW.

Phil Booth, NO2ID's national coordinator, introduces The NO2ID Pledge on
Friction.tv - http://www.friction.tv/index.php?vid=1471

If you haven't done so already (and we do know that some of you have already been very busy in your local papers) here's an ideal opportunity for you to have
your say. Click 'Fire Back by Text' to add your comment, or 'Fire Back by Video' to upload your own video.

Local groups news

We now have groups in 36 of the 69 locations of ID interrogation centres (see www.no2id.net/getInvolved/idCentres.php). If you can help to set up a local
group in one of the remaining towns then please contact our Local Groups liaisons Matty and Deborah at (local.groups@no2id.net). A full list of local
groups can be found at www.no2id.net/localGroups

Cambridge
- 2nd January - Cambridge NO2ID pub meeting at 7.30pm at the Salisbury Arms, 76 Tenison Rd, Cambridge
CB1 2DW (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=cb1+2dw). Cambridge NO2ID's informal pub meetings are on the first Wednesday of each month. For more details contact cambridge@no2id.net, or text/call Andrew on 07710 469624.

Coventry
- 1st Meeting: Monday, 10th December 7pm in The Rocket pub (opposite Central Six retail park).
All local people who would like to get more involved are welcome. Contact Claire: coventry@no2id.net for more information.

Edinburgh
- Perhaps aided by the HMRC debacle, the Edinburgh group had its highest attendance for nearly two years at its 27th November meeting. The group agreed
to loan out from its weekly stall, without formality, two copies of the "Taking Liberties" DVD and book - the idea being to show that mutual trust did still
exist in some sections of society. The group viewed and discussed some of the extra features on the DVD.
- Every week, Saturdays 1pm - 3pm, 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 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
- Tuesday, 11th December 8pm, our final meeting of the year - usual time, usual place. Mono at 8pm (Map: http://www.no2id-scotland.net/glasgow/meeting.html).

Kensington & Chelsea
- Monday, 10th December 7.30pm to 9 in South Kensington (nearest tube Gloucester Road), a second event planning meeting. Please contact
Kensington & Chelsea NO2ID (kensington@no2id.net) for full details or if you would like to see the minutes of the last meeting. There is also information on
http://kensingtonandchelseano2id.blogspot.com/ plus the Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kensingtonandchelseano2id/ and the Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5780164196

Manchester
- Street stunt - Following the HMRC leak Manchester NO2ID took to the streets to distribute CD-ROMs labelled "Confidential Data" to the public. The CD
wallets contained NO2ID flyers, and information about the HMRC data leak and the NO2ID campaign. You can download the informational flyer from
http://manchester.no2id.net/node/22
- 11th December - NO2ID leafletting at Information Commissioner's conference: "Surveillance Society: Turning Debate into Action" -
Bridgewater Hall. 9:30am-6:30pm.
- 12th December - Manchester NO2ID Monthly Meeting
7pm-9pm in the upstairs function room of the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane, Manchester. [Note: this venue is not wheelchair-accessible;
please contact us if you need a hand.] The pub serves reasonably-priced, good quality food until 8pm so you don't need to pop home for
tea.

Newcastle/Gateshead
- NO2ID Street stall on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Contact newcastle@no2id.net to get involved.

Worcester
NO2ID Worcester is keeping up the pressure on Labour's MP for Worcester, Michael Foster, as he resolutely refuses to engage in a public debate. Group
co-ordinator Luke Albarin said: "We're now hoping to challenge him with the aid of the Tories and Lib Dems." One of the group's members, Cathy Simpson, a
professional cartoonist, has designed a series of snappy cartoons for use throughout NO2ID.

What just happened
Poll: more oppose ID cards than support
A YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph, showed 48 per cent of those questioned were against ID cards versus 43 per cent in favour. Many media reports have
commented that this is the first time more have opposed ID cards but, previous polls have shown large majorities against, when combined with cost estimates. In fact Privacy International’s analysis of a YouGov poll dating back to 2004 demonstrates significant strong opposition before the ID legislation was even laid before Parliament (see http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/idcard/uk/idpollanalysis.pdf).

Justice Committee hears evidence on privacyOn Tuesday 4th December the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, and one of his deputies, David Smith, gave evidence to the House of
Commons Justice Committee on 'Protection of private data'. The Commissioner said that his forthcoming review of Information Sharing will take a fresh look at information sharing in light of recent events. Speaking of the ID scheme Thomas said: "Any massive collection of data like this holds risks". Watch the session at http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=580
A transcript of the session will be on the committee's website shortly: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmjust.htm
Private Eye reveals Blunkett's ID card interests
Private Eye (issue 1198) covers David Blunkett's continuing enthusiasm for ID cards - which he trumpets in his newspaper column in The Sun.
It points out that nowhere in his column has he mentioned that: "since March this year, the former home secretary has supplemented his earnings from Parliament and the Dirty Digger with a £30,000-a-year job chairing the international advisory committee of Entrust Inc, a Texas-based security company which hopes to provide software for the British ID card system".

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"ID" in the news
Europeans could get access to UK ID database - The Register 28/11/07
Updated News emerged yesterday of a mysterious international ID card plan, described by the Tories as "a European-wide identity card project called Project Stork". The Conservatives suggested in Parliament that Stork was a huge Europe-wide extension to the planned UK National ID card with its associated databases and biometrics. "How," asked the shadow Home Sec David Davis, did the government intend to "prevent a repetition of the disaster of the past few weeks when sensitive personal data are held not by one Government but by 27?"
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/28/stork_id_fracas/

Coming next... an even bigger database - Telegraph Comment 27/11/07
Gordon Brown used to be known as the Macavity of politics, who was never at the scene of the crime when things went wrong. Now he is in danger of turning into TS Eliot's other feline creations, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, who get the blame for every misfortune that occurs, whether or not it is their fault.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/11/27/do2701.xml

Data protection won't help once all the data is gone - The Guardian Comment 27/11/07
Last week's loss of confidential child benefit records has been a wake-up call to 25 million people about the reality of the government's handling of our
personal information. But few realise the extent of what lies ahead. The Identity Cards Act, which slipped, barely noted, on to the statute books in
2006, is the jewel in the crown of a wholesale and well-advanced government commitment to "share" data about each of us between departments on an unprecedented scale.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/comment/0,,2217556,00.html

Child database system postponed - BBC News Online 27/11/07
Ministers are postponing a new database on every child in England, pending a security review and changes to the system including its access controls.
Children's minister Kevin Brennan told MPs there would be a five-month delay to the £224m system, ContactPoint.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7115546.stm

Innocents fear DNA database errors - Telegraph 26/11/2007
Thousands of people could be accused of a crime they did not commit as a result of errors in records on the national DNA database, it emerged last night. In the past year, more than 100 possible inaccuracies in the documentation of DNA profiles have been discovered, and a further 1,500 administrative mistakes have been logged on the system.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/26/ndna126.xml

Just because it's digital doesn't mean it's safe - Telegraph 26/11/07
It stands to reason, does it not, that all paper records should be put in digital form so that they can be accessed online. It is simpler, quicker,
cheaper and more efficient. Who wants to plough through lots of dusty files when the information can be available at the click of a mouse? This is the rationale behind a three-year project called Dove - the Digitisation of Vital Events.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/11/26/do2601.xml

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