So the DWP has decided to appeal against the information commissioner's ruling that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) should release their cost/benefit analysis of the ID card/NIR scheme. The Information Comissioner's ruling came in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request from Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten.
The article quotes the DWP as saying that "releasing such information prematurely could stop ministers and officials discussing the pros and cons of policies". How giving MPs all the available information about the costs and benefits of the system will prevent rather than assist in such discussions is a mystery.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
First Monthly Meeting
We were fortunate enough to have one of the members of the original Aberystwyth No2ID group come along last night. He filled us in on the successes of the original group (including getting Ceredigion Council to pass a motion against ID cards. We have plenty of ideas about taking the fight forwards. We expect to be visible in town, on campus and in the local media soon. And we need your help.
If you're concerned at the thought of your movements being tracked (and in the coming weeks this blog will give you plenty of reasons why you should be worried), about the waste of public funds, about the infringement of civil liberties, about the gift to any future government that chooses to use the cards as a repressive tool, then join us. We need:
People to hand out leaflets
People to design and print materials
People who can speak Welsh - we're short on bilinguals!
People with imaginative ideas about getting the message out there
People who are prepared to take part in debates and interviews
People who are prepared to scan the news
People prepared to write letters the HSotW (Home Secretary of the Week).
People who will write freedom of information requests
Everyone inspired, passionate or just plain pissed off enough to want to do something productive.
The next meeting is on the 1st August at 8pm in Fresh Ground - in the meantime you can email aberystwyth@no2id.net, or call 07092 880 562 and leave a message - we'll call you back.
If you're concerned at the thought of your movements being tracked (and in the coming weeks this blog will give you plenty of reasons why you should be worried), about the waste of public funds, about the infringement of civil liberties, about the gift to any future government that chooses to use the cards as a repressive tool, then join us. We need:
People to hand out leaflets
People to design and print materials
People who can speak Welsh - we're short on bilinguals!
People with imaginative ideas about getting the message out there
People who are prepared to take part in debates and interviews
People who are prepared to scan the news
People prepared to write letters the HSotW (Home Secretary of the Week).
People who will write freedom of information requests
Everyone inspired, passionate or just plain pissed off enough to want to do something productive.
The next meeting is on the 1st August at 8pm in Fresh Ground - in the meantime you can email aberystwyth@no2id.net, or call 07092 880 562 and leave a message - we'll call you back.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Newsflash - Newport goes RFID
I've just heard on the ID groups mailing list that people are starting to receive RFID tagged passports. Investigations are ongoing to determine:
1)What is stored on the chip
2)From what distance the chip can be read
3)Whether it is (legally and technically) possible to cancel the chip.
Watch this space.
1)What is stored on the chip
2)From what distance the chip can be read
3)Whether it is (legally and technically) possible to cancel the chip.
Watch this space.
Meeting tonight
Exciting news - we've been approached by a BBC political correspondent who is interested in hearing more about the Aberystwyth campaign. You humble organisers are working on a reply as we speak. We hope to have them interested in some of the events we'll be organising. To get in on the ground floor, join us at our first monthly meeting at the lovely Fresh Ground cafe from 8 this evening.
Emma & Phil
Emma & Phil
Monday, July 03, 2006
Data mining - not just for the "good guys"
Data Mining is the use of intelligent software tools to look for interesting patterns in large volumes of data. Credit card companies do it - to look for unusual patterns of spending to try to prevent fraud for example. Financial institutions do it to try to work out what they can "cross sell" to their customers, or to determine who is credit worthy. Law enforcement agencies use it to help trace murderers
With that in mind, I've been meaning to blog this for some time. It happened in America but could easily happen in the UK to any large repository of personal data. Records of Armed Forces Veterans and active personnel have been stolen. More recently 1,500 employees of the National Nuclear Safety Administration have had their details accessed by hackers unknown. The article raises the spectre that the data is sufficiently extensive to be "mined".
With volumes of data this large, it's not just the danger of individuals being impersonated that is the concern. There is the emerging problem that data mining could be used to search for important patterns that could be used by [insert bogeyman of choice here].
The technology to intelligently mine data is only a free download away. The desire to "get at" data, whether from curiosity or some more sinister motive is well documented. The central storage of volumes of personal data in the National Identity Register will be one huge weak point that will be hard to protect.
With that in mind, I've been meaning to blog this for some time. It happened in America but could easily happen in the UK to any large repository of personal data. Records of Armed Forces Veterans and active personnel have been stolen. More recently 1,500 employees of the National Nuclear Safety Administration have had their details accessed by hackers unknown. The article raises the spectre that the data is sufficiently extensive to be "mined".
With volumes of data this large, it's not just the danger of individuals being impersonated that is the concern. There is the emerging problem that data mining could be used to search for important patterns that could be used by [insert bogeyman of choice here].
The technology to intelligently mine data is only a free download away. The desire to "get at" data, whether from curiosity or some more sinister motive is well documented. The central storage of volumes of personal data in the National Identity Register will be one huge weak point that will be hard to protect.
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