ID Cards Dead?

[chicken]

If this rather weirdly written article is right, the ID card may never surface (during this government at least):

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07...getting_elbow/

I for one think this is great news, I don't believe it would help security at all and could in fact hinder it if they are faked as people think "Oh, this person has an ID card, I won't bother doing any other checks on them then". That and the fact it would cost a fortune for very little, if any improvement. Oh and of course then there's all the "The government have your DNA/Fingerprints/etc" thing and forensic tests are not 100% accurate so you could be called up for trial for a crime you didn't commit just based on a closest-match database search.

What are your thoughts?

[frumpet]

I think the ID cards are a bad idea. As you mention, there is no guarantee that these won't be open to fraud and abuse and as for the terrorist threat, we only have to look at 7/7 ('homegrown' terrorists with British Passports) to see that this is not a solution.

If these are ditched, sorry.. "Indefinitely delayed" , then it's another example of this useless government and a sad waste of taxpayers money. (£32 million as of Feb'06 according to the BBC)

[directhex]

[dancingtornado]

I heard these will come into action by 2010. Not sure if they will be a good idea or not