We thought this regular bulletin from the No2ID Campaign was sufficiently important to share ...
CLAUSE 152 - DEAD, BUT NOT QUITE BURIED...
We can rightfully claim a famous victory as, following massive public and institutional outcry initiated by NO2ID and our close colleagues (that's us, that is - GOS), Jack Straw has been forced to remove the appalling Clause 152 from the Coroners and Justice Bill.
Clause 152 would have provided powers to use data gathered for one purpose for any other across government and both the public and private sectors via 'Information Sharing Orders'. It would even have allowed mass transfer of personal information across international borders. It would have vastly accelerated the building of the database state.
NO2ID had reports of individual MPs receiving over 150 personal letters from constituents on Clause 152 in the last month alone. It became the most briefed-against Clause in a Bill that contains a whole string of controversial measures.
Thanks must go to everyone who acted and who told others - we couldn't have done it without you.
But we cannot afford to be complacent.
The government has not given up. We must be prepared for more information sharing legislation, and for an attempt to manufacture the impression of public consent via yet another "consultation" process.
And in just the next few weeks ahead we are fighting broad data-sharing and other measures in the Borders, Citizenship & Immigration Bill; dangerous wriggle-room on DNA and biometrics in the Policing and Crime Bill; phase II of NHS Summary Care Records (medical records being uploaded without consent); and the initial roll-out of ContactPoint.
If we're to keep winning battles like Clause 152 we really need your help. In the run-up to the next general election (May 2010 at the latest) things are only going to intensify. We have to keep the pressure on against the database state, and can't afford to let anything slip through.
Government releases (some) ID card Gateway Reviews
The Home Office has released two Gateway Reviews of the government's ID scheme. The release of the documents comes as the result of a Freedom of Information request by SpyBlog in January 2005. Since then there has been a series of Information Tribunals in which the government has appealed against orders to disclose information. The government even cited the 1698 Bill of Rights to try and avoid disclosure. Gateway Reviews assess the progress of IT projects at key stages in their lifecycle. The reviews can be downloaded here.
Westminster Hall Debate on Identity Cards On Wednesday 11th March a Westminster Hall debate on the government's identity card scheme and specifically the procurement of the programme was held. The "debate" was attended by Mark Todd, the MP who proposed the debate, Meg Hillier, the ID cards minister and a deputy speaker, to name but all of them. Todd opened the session by stating: "I shall not discuss the principles behind the project, nor shall I attempt to persuade the Minister that it might harm civil liberties". Hillier showed her astounding knowledge of the project when she claimed that 70% of the cost: "will be the cost of implementing secure passports with fingerprints, something that we are doing to meet international requirements".
There are in fact no international requirements.
Read a transcript here, or watch the debate here.
BeeBase National Beekeepers Register
The National Audit Office (NAO) has produced a report focusing on the state of the UK's bee population. At the moment bee keepers can be added voluntarily to the national database of keepers BeeBase. The NAO say if take up is not high enough then a compulsory scheme of registration should be considered - a similar argument will no doubt be used with regards the National Identity Register of humans. The bee database adds to a growing list of similar schemes such as national Poultry Register, the National Equine Database and the forthcoming Electronic Identification (EID) for sheep.
The GOS says: That last scheme's a new one on me. When they say "sheep" do they mean those woolly animals that baa a lot, or do they mean us?
Don't bother sending in your answers. I think we all know what they mean.
Bastards.
either on this site or on the World Wide Web.
Copyright © 2009 The GOS
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