Dropsafe

by Alec Muffett

US wants to be able to access Britons’ ID cards

Via [www.fipr.org]

US wants to be able to access Britons’ ID cards
By Kim Sengupta
Independent 27 May 2005

The United States wants Britain’s proposed identity cards to have the same microchip and technology as the ones used on American documents. The aim of getting the same microchip is to ensure compatability in screening terrorist suspects. But it will also mean that information contained in the British cards can be accessed across the Atlantic.

Michael Chertoff, the newly appointed US Secretary for Homeland Security, has already had talks with the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, and the Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, to discuss the matter.

Mr Chertoff also proposed that British citizens wishing to visit the US should consider entering a “Trusted Traveller” scheme. Under this, they would forward their details to the US embassy to be vetted. If successful, they would receive a document allowing “fast- tracking” through the US immigration system…

[news.independent.co.uk]

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Comments

One response to “US wants to be able to access Britons’ ID cards”

  1. Robin Wilton
    re: US wants to be able to access Britons’ ID cards

    Well, I guess that was to be expected. Two comments spring to mind: 1) in practice, is this actually any worse than the current arrangement, where your airline simply gives all your personal data to the US Customs & Immigration service? 2) it’s one thing for the card data to be accessible to the US, but another for the National Identity Register to be made similarly available. I’d like to know what political justification there could be for allowing one and preventing the other. (In other words, I suspect that if card data were made accessible to the US, we would find that the ID Register was too).

    Deep joy.

    Reply

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