Contact less card [Appendix 2.1]
“In a contact less card, all input-output, and often the power is transmitted by radio-frequency (RF) signals rather than through contacts. A coil antenna is built into the thickness of the card, either around its circumference or with a larger number of turns around the chip itself, within the size of the module” (Hendry, 1997, p103).
“Some contact less cards use a battery within the card. In others, the RF-control circuits in the chip pick up sufficient energy through the antenna to power the chip itself and to communicate with the read-write unit” (Hendry, 1997, p103).
2.4 Comparison of other cards to smart cards
There are other card technologies in use today other than smart cards, and the most widely used is the ‘magnetic stripe card’.
Magnetic stripe cards
“Of all the enhancements to plastic cards, the adoption of magnetic stripe techniques is the most significant when related to smart cards as it already provides a modicum of memory which is utilised both for increased security and the electronic processing of transactions – where it provides a limited capability to support on-line and off-line activities” (Bright, 1998, p13).
A magnetic stripe card comprises of a standard ‘card size’ for the wallet, either made of a paper core laminated within clear plastic (or it could be made of any other type of material such as ‘strong plastic’, which is used on the majority of cards in circulation today). Sealed inside the clear plastic is a strip of magnetic tape of the type used for audio recording. This basically allows any data to be stored using equivalent ‘read/write’ facilities.
Memory cards
The memory card is also known as the ‘LaserCard’™. It was created and brought to the market in 1981. the LaserCard™ consists of ‘sandwich’ involving two outer layers of protective plastic. During the writing process, a strong beam is laser beam burns a pattern of minute pits in a silver film which is ‘sandwiched’ in between the two protective outer layers.
So how does the LaserCard™ compare with the Smart Card? There are a number of significant differences to be outlined, they are as follows:
- LaserCards™ are ideal for mass memory applications. E.g. one such card could store a complete copy of the Bible.
- At a cost of US$1.50 (in 1988), the production costs of a LaserCard™, though higher than a magnetic stripe card, it is typically 50% cheaper than a conventional smart card.
- This cost difference is partially due to the absence of the built-in microprocessor common to smart card; thus the current generation of LaserCard™ is not ‘smart’.
- Stored information cannot be erased and re-written unlike the latest re-programmable smart cards.
(Source: Smart Cards principles, practice, applications, 1988)
Hybrid cards
However, despite the different types of cards already available, there is another form of card already on the market. A hybrid card basically makes use of several technologies. The object of this is to make the credit and debit card more internationally acceptable between various banks and businesses. This is because some countries or banks and businesses will not accept either the magnetic stripe cards or the ‘chip’ cards because they only have the system (card reader) to only accommodate one of the types of cards. (On the cards, 1997).
Biometric cards
Biometric cards are a new generation of smart cards. They incorporate the traditional smart cards with a new special function for the purpose of authentic identification. The basic technology of a biometric card is that it is able to store a subject’s biological data. This can range from a simple photo of the person to fingerprints and an iris scan and facial recognition; this is simply a digital record of the persons fingerprint or thumbprint and a digital pattern of a person’s eye, as well as other data such as the colour of the eye. (The Telegraph, 2003).
At the moment the government seems to be keen on implementing a biometric smart ID card as they believe this will help identify criminals and fraudsters and illegal immigrants and migrant workers. “The ID card of the future could replace the traditional passport and driving licence and serve as a cash card for tax payments. It will contain chips containing personal and biometric information such as scans of fingerprints and irises”. (Gentleman, A., 2003).
Mr Blunkett, the Home secretary claimed the biometric system would make UK ID cards impossible to forge - unlike cards used elsewhere in Europe.
3.0 Systems and procedures
“ Any security system is only as good as the systems and procedures that use it ” (Hendry, 1988, p5).
Quite often security breaches involving cards are not due to any flaws in the cards technology itself, in fact they are due to the cards being lost or stolen, or they are intercepted in the mail, or even that criminals arrange the card to be delivered to the wrong house by setting up false names and addresses.
“ Any proposals to increase the security of card systems must therefore address the whole system and not just the card itself ” (Hendry 1988, p5).
Security is always an important issue to be considered, especially when holding data about individuals and their assets. Banks and other financial institutions do not take security issues lightly, and when it comes to fraud, the law is quite clear on the matter with heavy penalties if the law is ever broken.
For smart card systems security is a big issue, and there are two main reasons why!
-
The first being that there are many fraudulent activities using bank cards (credit and debit cards), and criminals defraud the individual of over £2 billion worldwide. The main aim of using smart cards is to reduce fraud, hence the ‘chip and pin’ method of purchasing goods in stores is slowly being introduced into the UK, and this will replace signing for goods in the future. The ‘chip and pin’ system has been in use in France and other parts of Europe for almost a decade, and due to its success fraud has been cut by almost 60%.
(Source: BBC News24, 2003)
- Smart card systems are also used in sensitive areas such as personal identification and health. If there is a huge security breach in theses areas due to inadequate systems in place, this flaw could undermine the publics’ confidence in the technology thus resulting in a reduced scope for using the cards and the technology associated with it along with any computer storage of data in such sensitive areas.
(Source: Smart Cards principles, practice, applications, 1988)
4.0 Market Issues
The growth of smart cards
Smart cards date back to 1970, when they were first introduced, and to date nearly 4 billion have been sold. This figure probably shows the popularity of the smart card and its technology amongst industry and small and large businesses. By today’s standards, smart cards have become far more sophisticated in their capabilities as opposed to thirty years ago, as they are used in more applications and by more people and by more businesses than ever before.
One of the reasons why smart card use and its popularity have grown is probably because it is due to its versatility and convenience as a storage, portability, and processing device, all which conveniently fit in your wallet.
(Source: Paying with Plastic, 1999)
Other reasons behind its popularity and period of rapid growth today are due to the;
- Different longstanding patents in Japan and Europe have expired. This in turn has opened up the market for other competitors small and large to enter with a fresh new approach, bringing with them better technology and applications for smart cards, with more of a relevance for today’s society and its users.
- There have been growing concerns over the ageing technology of the magnetic stripe card. It is currently the main competitor to the smart card and the most widely used around the world, however the magnetic stripe system seems to be outdated, and industry analysts suggest that it may now be cheaper to replace the technology with smart cards than to upgrade the security of magnetic stripe cards.
-
Over the last decade there has been a worldwide growth in applications associated with smart cards. These are applications such as health cards, electronic purses (the UK equivalent of this is the Mondex card, still in its trial period, however in other parts of Europe, Asia and North America these electronic purses are already part of society); (Mondex: security by design, 1995),(Cash verses cashless, 1996), there has also been a growth in digital mobile telephony and satellite television decoding.
- It is estimated that there is a potential global demand for electronic purses and telephone cards at over a billion cards a year. This is especially an important area for manufacturers to invest in as there is a global demand for mobile telephony, and as we are witnessing in the UK, digital mobile telephony has advanced at a tremendous pace in the last few years especially with the introduction of more sophisticated 2.2G and 3G handsets. With also the introduction of digital television, smart cards will have to become even more sophisticated if they are to cope with the planned launch of 4G mobile telephony in several years, and with also the greater advancements in digital television and the potentials they have to offer.
(Source: Smart Cards principles, practice, applications, 1988)
5.0 The Security criteria
The term ‘security’ has more than one meaning. A system can fail to be ‘secure’ not only when it fails to protect users or their data from hackers but also from computer viruses and even if the system fails to operate or function correctly.
The following security points need to be considered and are vital if a secure smart ID card system is to be implemented;
Confidentiality
The success of the national ID card will heavily rely on the smart card system being able to protect the confidentiality or privacy of information. A form of protection is required not only to maintain the main data files stored on the card such as medical details, work details and home address etc, but also the data stored on the computer systems that may be accessed by using the cards. However this should not be such a ‘complex’ issue as many smart card systems are already in use where confidentiality and privacy are concerned.
Impersonation
Impersonation will be a very difficult problem for the governments ID card to tackle. An individual impersonating someone will basically allow them (someone other than the cardholder) to gain unauthorised access, and make use of the functions allowed by the card. So what are the options available to the government?! Would it solve or alleviate the problem if there was a photo of the person associated with the card actually incorporated into the card along with a digital signature and a personal fingerprint. Impersonation incidents can affect the publics confidence towards the ID cards, and can damage the governments proposal of introducing it.
Data Integrity
There should be protection provided against the alteration of any data being held on the ID cards or computer systems either by accident or with malicious intent. But this is an area where smart cards are actually ‘leaders’ in such form of security. This is due to the fact that areas of memory on a smart card can be protected against any unauthorised access by an individual or applications software.
Safety
Computer systems are normally equipped with a fail-to-safety provision to protect one’s personal safety; this is to ensure that even if the entire system fails, there are no human lives at risk.
Where smart ID card systems are concerned with personal safety, the risks are very high as smart cards may give holders access to dangerous areas or allow them to cause danger.
None delivery
This is term used when data in a communications system is lost such as an order or a transaction. Smart card systems are often used to monitor transactions and events. Use of checks will help detect errors. One form of cross-checking that is available is numbering, which checks against duplication.
Accuracy
The accuracy of data is affected when any data is recorded or transmitted incorrectly. This inaccuracy can be caused by human error or even by poor contact of the ‘micro chip’ to the system or through electrical interference. The Smart ID card system will be often dealing with many different devices and contact conditions, so it must have a very wide electrical tolerance ranges, but it is because of this that there is an increase in the risk of errors passing through. However there are checks that are available that can be carried out depending on the type of error that has occurred. They are parity checks, cycle redundancy checks (CRC) and message authentication checks (MAC).
(Source: Smart Card Security and Applications, 1997)
6.0 Where is the government to use smart cards?
“…we face growing threats to security and prosperity of British Citizens from illegal migration and working, organised crime and terrorism, identity theft and fraud and fraudulent access to public services…” (www.homeoffice.gov.uk, 2003) .
The UK government is still to catch up with other nations especially in Europe, where countries such as Germany and France have already adopted some form of national ID card in the form of smart cards concerning areas such as health, social security, and transport. Germany has introduced a national insurance smart card a few years ago, whilst their European counterpart Spain has a social security and health card planned for the near future. This scheme if it goes ahead, then it will provide the Spanish public with quick access to vital information. The Spanish authorities promise that the scheme will reduce both errors and misuse in the national social security and health systems. (Dix, A., 1995) [APPENDIX 7.0]
However the British government announced the introduction of a trial version of the ID card scheme on a selected population of 10,000 people in April 26th 2004. (ITV News, 2004)
The UK government intends to use the new ID cards in almost all of its departments affecting the British public. Not only will the card be used to combat illegal immigration and fraudulent claims in social security, the government also wishes to combine the one card to incorporate many other functions as a multi-functional card. The plans are to introduce the national ID card in the following areas but all of the departmental procedures combined into one multi-functional card:
Social Security
Like many other nations of the world, Britain is not exempt from benefit fraud. There are already many systems and procedures set in place to tackle such problems but they will not always be one hundred % effective.
Due to the smart cards multi-functionality, the British governments’ idea is to use the smart card for identification before paying any benefits to the person. Any benefits owed will then be paid to the smart ID card as it can also act as an electronic purse, or the amount loaded to the card could then be transferred to a bank account by inserting it into an ATM/cash machine or telephone terminal.
(Smart Card Security and Applications, 1997)
Benefit fraud is quite easy to commit. Currently, the British system of benefit payments is either via direct debit or by a benefit voucher booklet, and the choice of receipt of benefit is up to the individual at the moment; however the drive is to get everyone receiving benefit payments electronically via the direct debit system. The reason for this is that direct debit payments are ‘fraud proof’, whereas if a benefit booklet was to be stolen or lost, anyone with intent to defraud the benefits agency could easily do so simply by walking into a Post Office and claiming to be the person as stated on the benefit booklet and then withdrawing any benefit payments that are due.
Any identification of a particular person will be verified via a photograph and or thumbprint incorporated into the ID card. The government believes that benefit fraud will surely be curbed in this manner, if a smart ID card system is adopted. The other benefits to this are that the government agency saves cash handling costs, and there is an immediate and complete audit trail. (Smart Card Security and Applications, 1997)
Health care
Healthcare is one of the most important aspects of the future ID card functions. It promises to be one of the most important and beneficial fields of use for smart card technology, yet one that unleashes the fiercest debates about privacy and misuse of personal information. Other conflicts include the ownership of the data on the card, and the access of government or insurance companies to stored information, especially when it is a multi-functioning card.
(Information society paper, G-7 conference, 1995)
In the UK, the pilot Exmouth Health Care Card received very positive responses from both users and professionals alike.
(Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), 1995)
The main issue around the ID card is what type of information is put on the card. Storing information on a health card could provide direct access to health and patient details thus proving beneficial for relevant officials and the emergency services.
Germany has implemented a national system of smart health cards with details of health insurance stored on them, but no data about the cardholder’s health.
(Identity cards: putting you in the picture, 1995)
Transport
“By the end of the decade, it has been estimated that 50 % of the use of smart cards will be for transportation either…” (Siemens review, 1995).
There are already transport smart cards in use in the UK by various private transport companies. One such example of an operational smart transport card can be found in Greater Manchester and is known as the ‘OneCard’. (Smart card case study, 1995)
The government favours a form of transport card, and is encouraging the drive for local public transport smart cards. In particular, the government is behind the drive for a transport card for Londoners. The government is working with the state owned London Transport department to initiate a scheme for the 3.5 million potential users of the scheme if it goes ahead. The majority of the users will be Londoners and the objective of this is to introduce a system that will help ease congestion at ticket booths and speed up passengers’ transit through the tube stations.
Another suggestion is to incorporate bus passes for school children and for old aged pensioners in the multi functional ID cards, according to local authority policies on such matters. Another scheme yet to be developed is the tolling of motorists using motorways on a per use basis. If this scheme is implemented then it will generate extra revenue for the government.
(The world in your wallet, 1995)
Education
Across Britain, there are local authorities already trialling a smart card for students. The card incorporates the students’ details as well as acting as a registration card and for some, even acts as a ‘free meal’ voucher if they are entitled to one.
(Smart Card Security and Applications, 1997)
The technology in its visible form is quite simple. When attending morning and afternoon registration, and even lessons the student is more or less registered as soon as he/she walks in through the door. The only responsibility of the student is to carry the smart card at all times when on school premises on a normal school day, and then swipe the card through a designated card reader when required. The system automatically takes the students attendance and the data is available at the teachers’ request. However only the registration data will be available to the teachers and any other data is available to appropriate officials of the school.
(Smart Cards: Opportunities for public sector applications, 1994)
So far in this chapter there has been an introduction to a brief history of the smart card and how the technology behind it works. The chapter also looked at its competitors and alternatives along with the potential government uses for the smart card by the British government. In the next chapters there will be a comparative analysis between the government survey concerning the issue of the ID cards to be and the survey conducted for this report. There will also be a critical review of the ID cards with a discussion on some ethical scenarios and the publics views on the issue which will be covered by a conclusion.
Methodology
Chapter 3
7.0 Methodology
“…research can be perceived as seeking through methodical processes to add to ones own body of knowledge and hopefully to that of others by the study of non- trivial facts and insights”. (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000) .
The methodology used will be to state and justify the reasons for using different methods selected for the research of the project, and defines how the actual research of the project is undertaken.
The focal point of the methodology is to consider the research design and the interpretation behind the chosen methodology, and therefore helping to choose an appropriate framework for answering the research question.
A comprehensive understanding of the various methods of research must be identified in order to understand the basis of research and its validity. There are many styles and approaches that can be adopted that use different methods of collecting data. However it is important to remember that no-one method is correct or wrong.
There are many styles and approaches that can be adopted that use different methods of collecting information. The two main methods are primary and secondary.
Primary research is an investigation, which involves collection of original data using accepted research methodology. (Bell, 1999).
Secondary research denotes an activity where by no original data is collected but instead the information on the research topic is drawn/investigated from the existing sources alone. (Bell, 1999).
The primary research will be of a quantitative nature whilst the secondary research will be of a qualitative nature.
Qualitative research- A qualitative research is more concerned to understand individual’s perception of the world, and they seek insight rather than statistical hypothesis. As an overview, this research method relies less on numbers and statistics but more on interviews, observations, and small number of questionnaires, focus groups, subjective reports and case studies. (Haralambos, 1993).
Quantitative research- A quantitative research collects the facts and studies the relationship of one set of facts to that of another. This particular technique is likely to produce quantified results and if possible, a general conclusion. An over view of quantitative research method is that it relies less on interviews, observations, case studies, numbers of questionnaires, but relies and is much focused on the collection and analysis of numerical data and statistics. (Haralambos, 1993).
7.1 Primary research [APPENDIX 8.0]
The people that will be interviewed will be a random population from Leeds city centre (from a sample of 100 people) who are going about their everyday lives. The questions will be based around the aim and objectives of the project. The answers provided by the public will be from a pre-determined range of answers; this will enable each of the interviews to be short and efficient and much more relevant to the research.
The survey questionnaire has been set to accomplish the following objective of the report;
- To find out if the public support the ID scheme and if the results match up with the governmental statistic of that ‘80% of the UK population favour an ID card’.
To find out if the public believe that if it is fair for them to pay for the ID cards or if they should be freely issued by the government
The self-administered questionnaire has for a long time, been an important and useful method of obtaining information for researchers. It is a very popular method, as well as being very effective. Questionnaires are cost effective, well structured, and the results are related to the topic. It will be very simple and basic in the questions that will be placed in it, and will also be very well structured.
7.2 Secondary research
Secondary research is source-based information. It is the work of others, most probably the experts in that field or subject matter. It is work that has already been published and is available in any format text or numeric. Secondary information summarises the work of many different sources and presents the overview of a subject area. It is background information, which can enhance an individual’s knowledge in that field and basically provide a cutting edge when dealing with primary information. (Bell, 1999).
Extensive secondary data was gathered by conducting a literature review on “A study of a smart card ID system in government”.
There was much secondary information used. These sources compromised of:
- Journals and pamphlets
- Text books
- Internet.
- Reports and PDF papers
- News reports from the media on television and radio
The secondary research will fulfil the following objectives of the report.
- To identify the problems, cost, and public opinion on the scheme. The research will also engage in matters such as how the technology works, how it will be tested and what it will entail. It will also have a comparative analysis of the proposed technology with other forms of cards available. It will also include a brief history of the technology and where it is heading in the future.
It will also comment on the governmental views on the matter, and discuss the ethical issues that are arising due to the nature of the subject and what other social groups are saying in opposition to the scheme along with a cost and benefits analysis.
Although there were many textbooks found, the number of journals and pamphlets found was quite limited, as there weren’t many which clearly related to the topic of smart cards and on particularly on the UK ID card scheme. This is probably due to the fact that UK’s smart card/biometric ID scheme is so much a new and on-going agenda that the information available today is mostly derived from news reports.
Reports and PDF papers and the Internet were also used to find information. These sources were used in searching for the relevant theory and literature regarding e-commerce. There were a couple of good Internet sites that were found and the information was relevant and was related to smart cards and its subject matter.
7.3 Tools to be used
Other features and tools to be used during the compilation of the report concerning the governments ID card scheme will be software such as Excel and SPSS. These mathematical programs will enable the results gained from the survey questionnaire to be quantified. The results will be explained by graphs and charts, this will make the analysis of the data easier to read and understand and the use of the different types of graphs and charts will enable a person to come to a conclusion based on the survey. With the purpose of seeing if the survey and government statistics match up in regards to the ID scheme.
7.4 Limitations.
There are limitations that a researcher may encounter in collecting the primary and secondary. They may factors such as;
Primary (Survey Questionnaire) – During a survey or an interview, the respondents may not be willing to co-operate, or provide any relevant information that is required to carry out the study. The questions on the questionnaire might be very sensitive and therefore an answer might not be viable. Due to the time factor, cost and convenience of the interview, the unwillingness of the public to sacrifice a little time for an interview or to complete the interview may be a problem. This may prove to be a major problem, as it would not allow the author to form a comprehensive evaluation.
Secondary (Books, Journals and Internet) – The information in books, journals and the Internet could be biased, and may be written by people who just want to get their views across. Also the data collected, may be inconsistent, contradicted and incomplete, so therefore a full appraisal of the topic area will not be justified. It is not easy to always find up to date information on the topic area.
Other issues could be financial issues, costs in collecting secondary information, e.g. signing up to Mintel, Lexus Nexus, Orac or paying for reports on the topic area. Time is also an issue, along with a researcher having personal problems, which can slow and hamper the completion of a research area.
Chapter 4
8.0 Fruition: Quantitative research
According to government statistics (2004) 80 % of the British public is in favour of the ID cards and wouldn’t mind carrying one. The survey results gained should establish this figure or even disprove it.
[For survey questionnaire see APPENDIX 8.0]
[For full summary of survey results see APPENDIX 8.1, 8.2]
(Figure 1.0)
According to the government statistics from the table 1.0, 61% of the UK public is in favour of the ID card scheme, this figure is based on March 2003. The figure for 2004 is said to have increased to 80% due to changes in attitudes and views towards the ID scheme. However, 38% of the population back in 2003 were said to have been against an ID scheme, this figure has almost receded to 20% of the population for 2004 due to changed perception by the public.
According to the survey carried out in Leeds City centre as part of the report, the results gained show that out of the 62 people that either gave a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, 69% of the public are in favour of the ID scheme whilst 31% were against it. So according to table 1.1 below, it can be said that the survey in Leeds is in relation to the government survey and shows an accurate picture of a national view towards the ID scheme. However, these values seem to decrease as other answers to the question such as ‘don’t know’ and ‘not concerned’ are taken into consideration. The statistics (figure 1.2) change to 43% in favour and 19% against whilst 12% ‘don’t know’ and 26% are not concerned.
(Figure 2.0)
According to the Home Office survey (figure 2.0), it is revealed that 18 % of the population from 344 people who are against an ID card, said that their principle reason behind their opposition towards the scheme is because they se it as an invasion of their privacy. Whilst 10 % said that it could be lost or stolen and used fraudulently whilst another 10 % claimed that it was an invasion of civil liberties and rights.
According to the survey for the report conducting in Leeds, it seems that out of the 89 people out of 100 that either gave a yes or no answer, 57% of the public believed that it was an invasion of privacy and 43% believed that the ID scheme would not be an invasion of privacy.
The reason for such a high value could be that the survey carried out for the report was in comparison much smaller to the governmental research and only four different closed structured answers were given as an option to the public to choose from. In comparison the government survey gave the option of choosing from nine different answers. This meant that there was a wider variety of answers allowed to be given and so the responses would not have been as concentrated.
(Figure 3.0)
Government data suggests that 15 % of the populations’ reason behind favouring the national ID scheme is to stop illegal immigration whilst a further 12 % favour the scheme because they believe it will combat fraud. Also another 12 % believe that the scheme will combat crime whilst only 8 % believe that the scheme will protect and provide safety for individuals.
However in the findings in the survey conducted in Leeds shows that in figure 3.1, 46% of the respondents believed that the new ID card scheme would not stop illegal immigration whilst the smaller minority of just 30% believed that it would. The rest of the population at 14% didn’t have an answer to the question posed whilst 10% said that they were not concerned at all.
Q. Are people prepared to pay for the ID card?
The government asked members of the public if they would pay to obtain an ID card if it was at the cost of £33 like a passport and also was valid for ten years. The result found that 49 % of all those surveyed were not prepared to pay any amount of contribution towards an ID card. Of that figure of 49 %, 43 % were in favour of the scheme but were not willing to pay anything for the card, and 79 % who were not in favour of the scheme are also not willing to pay towards the card.
Only 18 % were willing to pay an amount less than £10 whilst only 7 % claimed that they would pay more than £20.
However in the survey for this report it seems that the results somewhat match that of the governmental survey. In figure 4.0, it is demonstrated that a significantly high number of the population do believe that that ID cards should be issued free. The statistics in figure 4.0 show that 84% of the public do not want to pay for the ID cards whilst 0% of people voted to pay for the ID cards. It also shows that 10% of people were not sure what to think and only 6% were actually not concerned if they had to pay for the cards or not.
“The researchers advised that there is sometimes a tendency for people to say in response to a question like this, what they would rather do than, as the question asks them, what they would be willing to do i.e. they might be willing to pay but would prefer not to. Therefore the question could be underestimating the willingness of people to pay for an ID card”. (Secretary of State, 2003)
Chapter 5
9.0 Critical Review
From the facts and the figures from the report as presented, it could be said that the government has a strong case for the introduction of a national ID card for Britain. However to completely state that the ID scheme is absolutely fool proof as stated earlier by the government is a debateable comment. David Blunkett, the home secretary stated that the British ID card scheme was unlike other European ID cards as the UK version will be un-forgeable.
It is true to say that the UK ID cards will be the most advanced form of ID cards to date due to the advanced biometric features associated with it, however could anyone actually be sure and declare that the new ID cards will be 100% foolproof? Questions have to be raised such as what if criminals were to gain access to the technology behind the production of the biometric ID cards? What if criminals are able to buy the card readers and scanners, and have access to the hardware and software to create forged ID’s? What if a lost or stolen card lands in the hands of criminals, would they eventually find a way to steal someone’s identity? Would they be able to steal information on the card?
We also have to ask about other security measures. In today’s society, there are many hackers and anarchists! There are groups who just want to punish governments, corporations and citizens because they have a different opinion of the political world. What if hackers were able to hack into the governments National Identity Register database of the British public? What would they do would the information after stealing it? How would it affect the individuals and how would they suffer? Would such an action endanger someone’s life? If someone was to be found for whatever reason, then maybe criminal organisation could find that person by providing the information about them to whoever is seeking it, all for a fee!
9.1 Costs and Benefits and Criticisms
The UK government estimates that a national ID card scheme will cost the treasury of over £1 billion. (BBC News, 2003).
However, opponents of the scheme such as the civil liberties group claim that the money to be spent on the scheme is not justified, and the money should be spent elsewhere in the public domain, and that the scheme will be intrusive in people’s privacy.
To justify the costs of the national ID card, the home secretary claims that “ID fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes and can ruin lives and costs the country more than £1.3 billion ever year…” (Blunkett, D., MP, 2003).
The government claims that the overall benefits outweigh the costs, and in the long run the money spent on implementing the ID card scheme will be recouped within a few years through savings made by reducing fraud and other forms of crime such as illegal immigration and illegal work. The money saved would then be ploughed back in the maintenance of the ID card system.
But as the Guardian newspaper has reported, the £1 billion estimate of the cost for the introduction of ID cards seems to have been underestimated. The total costs of the scheme seems to range from somewhere between £1.3 billion and £3.1 billion, and this broad estimate does not include any of the hi-tech scanning equipment for the country’s police forces that are required to read the new generation biometric smart ID cards. (The Guardian, 2003).
The increase of the costs is most likely to do with the government’s insistence on using biometric ID cards.
However one of the main concerns for the government is the actual adoption of the ID cards by the British public. The questions being asked are would they want one? And would they carry one? According to reports, the people of Britain are quite sceptical about the scheme and don’t really see the need for one despite the governments outlining of the recent terrorist attacks around the world, especially after the September 11th atrocities. At the moment the prime concern behind the introduction of a national ID card for the government seems to be national security concerning terrorism and illegal immigration. According to the think-tank ‘MigrationwatchUK’, people should be paid £50 as n incentive to obtain a national identity card.
MigrationwatchUK also suggests that the ID cards should not be made compulsory as suggested by the home secretary David Blunkett.
The scheme suggested by MigrationwatchUK believes that it will be more successful in the adoption of ID cards by the public as opposed to the one suggested by the government. MigrationwatchUK believe that residents need only apply if they wanted to claim social security. However paying the incentives would cost the government an estimated extra £3 billion on top of the £1 billion already needed to implant the scheme. (Metro, Yorkshire, 2003).
Other important benefits the ID card will have according to the government are that the scheme would [Appendix 3.0]:
- boost the fight against illegal working - giving employers a recognisable secure way of ensuring people are entitled to work;
- tackle immigration abuse;
- disrupt the use of false and multiple identities by terrorists and organised crime groups;
- ensure free public services are only used by those entitled to them;
-
help protect people from identity theft. (www.homeoffice.gov.uk, 2003).
How much will a card cost an individual? [Appendix 4.0]
An enhanced fee for the biometric ID cards would be £73 and £77 for a driving licence and a passport respectively, as opposed to the current £38 for a full driving licence and £42 for a passport. This basically means that an individual would be paying an enhanced fee to include the biometrics when applying for their driving licence or passport. However the holders of both documents would only pay the enhanced fee only once.
For those who wish not to have a passport or driving licence can opt for the plain ID card for £35 for a 10 year plan. 16 year olds would get the card for free and for those on low incomes would get the card for £10 for a 10 year plan.
From the above sources, if the scheme was to go ahead according to MigrationwatchUK, the overall cost would be a staggering £4 billion for the government and ultimately the taxpayer and the costs will surely increase with the vitally required maintenance of the system.
The UK Passport Service will shortly begin a six-month biometric pilot to test face, iris and fingerprint capture and recognition. A national ID card scheme would take advantage of the infrastructure being put in place to support these developments, significantly reducing the costs of the card. (www.homeoffice.gov.uk, 2003)
9.2 Ethical Issues
The diversity of electronic applications and the increased use of technology have created new ethical issues. There has been an attempt to organise such issues into a framework. Mason et al 1995 categorised and illustrated ethical issues into Privacy, Accuracy, Property and Accessibility.
1.Privacy – Collection, storage and dissemination of information about individuals
2.Accuracy – Authenticity, fidelity, and accuracy of information collected and processed.
3. Property – Ownership and value of information and intellectual property
4. Accessibility - Right to access information and payment of fees to access it.
These are just the basic legal and ethical issues, which organisations and businesses and governments must adhere and comply to.
There are many ethical issues involved with the planned ID card. The most obvious ones are about the storing and ownership of personal data on the cards. The data to be held about individuals on a government database called the National Identity Register will hold information such as name, address, date of birth, gender, immigration status and a confirmed biometric form of identification which could be either thumbprint, iris or photo or facial recognition.
Privacy is one issue that is often surrounded by controversy. Privacy is often defined as when individuals choose when to withdraw and when to participate.
Privacy of personal data
This is sometimes referred to as 'data privacy' and 'information privacy’. One privacy issue is " the right to be let alone." (Justice Louis Brandeis, 1892). The right to retreat from the world; one's family, neighbours, community, and government.
“…privacy is the right to control information about oneself, even after divulging it to others. This component acknowledges the critical value of being able to step forward and participate in society without having to relinquish all control over personal information”. (Goldman, J, 1995). Individuals claim that data about themselves should not be automatically available to other individuals and organisations, and that, even where data is possessed by another party, the individual must be able to exercise a substantial degree of control over that data and its use.
How will people’s privacy be protected?
Government legislation will allow the cards scheme to be used by any service either public or private to establish identity with the consent of the card holder, but with strict limits on the information available. Only parliament would be able to change the statutory purposes of the scheme or the information which could be held by the scheme. All data associated with the cards will be held on the National Identity register. Information such as health and tax records etc will not be available to organisations using the National Register to verify identity.
(Identity cards; the next steps, 2003)
[Appendix 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3]
The use of a biometric ID card has its many criticisms and one is that “British opponents of the scheme say biometrics and database technology are not yet foolproof, and errors could lead to dangerous confusions of identities”
(Gentleman, A., 2003). However there has been little complaint in Italy or in Spain, which has also announced the introduction of microchips in cards, with Italy’s mass introduction of the new system to be rolled out in May 2004. Italy began its trial experimentation with smart cards back in 2001. (The guardian 2003).
Many civil groups argue that the smart ID cards would disadvantage people that do not belong to mainstream society, and especially children of illegal migrants. This argument was justified when (according to the Guardian newspaper) the education secretary Charles Clarke blocked an attempt to use the national ID card to deny access to schools for the children of illegal migrants. This move by Charles Clark seemed to be welcomed by members of the public and MP’s, and it was later declared by the Home Office that using the card to check the immigration status of children starting schools had been ruled out. However the Home Office then declared that those without an identity card would not be allowed to register with a local doctor when the scheme becomes compulsory. The Home Office civil servants then confirmed that “life will become very difficult” for those without an ID card as they will be unable to access a wide range of other public services. (The Guardian, 2003) [APPENDIX 5.0]
The civil liberties ‘Liberty’ argues that the ID card will stir up racism within Britain as ethnic minorities would be tarheted by other social groups. They also argue that black men are more likely to get stopped and searched by the police, up to nine times more than white men, an ID card would just mean that ethnic minorities getting stopped and searched more in the streets by the police if they suspect that they are not carrying an ID card. (BBC News online, 2004).
Many people would argue that such moves (as mentioned above) by the government are un-ethical and totally immoral. The argument is that to disadvantage people and especially children of any medical attention is wrong and is in breach of ones human right.
9.3 Conclusion
[APPENDIX 6.0, 6.1, 6.2]
At the moment there are only plans for a voluntary ID scheme but a compulsory scheme is thought to be only several years away. In November 2003, Britain’s most senior police officer of the Metropolitan police force, Sir John Stevens announced his full backing for the ID cards, and stated that he wanted an immediate introduction of the ID cars. (Daily Mirror, 2003).
Public responses to the Government’s consultation last year showed that 62 per cent of people are in favour of ID cards. This rose to 80 per cent in a survey of a representative sample of the population. The consultation also showed that the public preferred the term "identity" rather than "entitlement" cards.
(www.homeoffice.gov.uk, 2003).
According to recent news reports and government statistics as stated above, it seems that the British public are quite well informed of the idea of an ID card of biometric and smart card technology. According to the Home Office around 80 % of the UK public are in favour of an ID card. This is hugely encouraging for the government, and they are further supported when they are backed by local authorities and the national law enforcement agencies. This type of support is especially beneficial for the government because it is the people, groups and civil departments that will be directly affected by the planned introduction of an ID card in 2007/8. And it is with this form of encouragement and confidence that the government can carry out the implementation of the scheme.
However, although the ID scheme is to be introduced for the benefit of the British public, the government cannot ignore the illegal immigrants and migrant workers and the children that usually come with them. These people, as argued by government oppositions and members of the public, cannot be ‘left to rot’, especially by not allowing them basic human rights such as education and healthcare all because they are not in possession of an ID card and because they have been identified as an ‘illegal migrant’. And it is true to say that an individual not having an ID card will put them into hardship by excluding them from the health, education and benefits system along with other governmental departments.
The final point is that the ID card scheme should be absolutely ‘foolproof’ especially if they land in the hands of fraudsters and other criminals and unauthorised organisations. Because a secure system will only be better for the publics confidence in the system, knowing that they and their families cannot ever be harmed by any criminal or organisation if they were to ever find or steal a persons ID card, because the unauthorised person does not have any form of access to an individuals information held on the ID cards and the entire database system.
However there current data protection laws in place that should ensure that there is no criminal malice of any data that is stored about an individual. The Data Protection Act (1984), which has been amended in areas since then, ensures the public about exactly what can and cant be stored and for exactly how long it should be stored and for what reasons.
The ‘Data Protection Act 1984’ is focused on, the protection of an individual’s personal details, such as from use that may “…lead to a weakening of position of persons on whom data is stored” (Barrett, 1997). The ‘Data Protection Registrar’ is responsible for the bringing of any prosecutions under the act that regulates the ‘Data Protection Act, 1984’.
A hacker maybe targeted with a prosecution under this act, if they are responsible for the procurement of personal data on an individual and the subsequent use of this information against such a person.
So the ID card scheme will have to abide by the data protection laws already in place.
Bibliography
Anonymous. (2004) . Country Monitor. New York: Mar 1,. Vol. 12, Iss. 8; p. 1 (1 page)
Barrett, N (1997) Digital Crime, Kogan Page
Bright, R. (1988), Smart Cards principles, practice, applications. Chichester, Ellis Horwood Ltd.
Bell, J (1999) Doing Your Research Project 3rd edition St Edmundsbury press LTD Suffolk
Bourner, T (1996) The Research Process – Four steps to success
Blackman, O. (2003), Good ID, Daily Mirror, 10th Nov p8.
Cooper, H.M (1999) Integrating Research – A guide for literature reviews.
Cox, C., Lee. , Soul (2002) Crime in Modern Britain, Oxford University Press
Denzin, N K & Lincoln, Y S (2000) Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage publications Inc 2nd Edition USA
Evans, D.S. and Schmalensee, R. (1999), Paying with plastic. USA, The MIT Press.
Gill, J & Johnson, P (1997) Research Methods for Managers London 2nd Edition
Gentleman, A. (2003), ID cards may cut queues but learn lessons of history, warn Europeans, The Guardian 15th Nov p21.
Hendry, M. (1997), Smart card security and applications. London, Artech House Publishers.
Harding, D. (2003), Pay people £50 to get ID cards, Metro (Yorkshire) 27th Oct p2.
Hans H. Chen and David Eberhart, Web of Terror: Bin Laden's International Terror Network [ABPNews, 2000] ; ]
Hulme G. V (2004). InformationWeek. Manhasset: Mar 1, p. 28 (1 page)
Jackson, P (2004). The Independent. London (UK): Mar 24, p. 2
Layder, D (1998) Linking Theory and Social Research Sage publications, London
Messmer, E. (2004). . Network World. Framingham: Mar 22, Vol. 21, Iss. 12; p. 25 (2 pages)
National Computer Centre (1996), ‘The Information Security Breaches Survey, 1996’, DTI, ICC, ITSEC and NCC.
Perri, 6. and Briscoe, I. (1996). On the cards: Privacy, identity and trust in the age of smart technologies. London, Demos.
Privacy international (2003) ID Cards and Biometrics, Report from PI UK ID card. Available from;
< > [Accessed 15/10/03]
Privacy exchange (2003) Privacy And Individual Empowerment In The Interactive Age . Available from;
<http://www.privacyexchange.org/iss/confpro/bcinteractive.html> [Accessed 15/12/03]
Research methods – Guidance for Graduates, Arnold London
Robson, C (1998) Real world Research Oxford Blackwell
Roberts, B. (2004), ID cards for all migrant workers, Daily Mirror 24th Feb p4.
Song,S . (2004) Time. New York: Apr 12,. Vol. 163, Iss. 15; p. 81 (1 page)
Schwartz, K. D. (2004) .Government Executive. Washington: Feb. Vol. 36, Iss. 2; p. 58 (2 pages)
Schofield, J. (2004) .The Guardian. Manchester (UK): Mar 25,. p. 23
Travis, A. (2004), Minister blocks ID cards as school ‘passport’, The Guardian 28th Jan p18.
Taher, A. (2003), Mobile nation, Metro (Yorkshire) 20th Oct p11.
Torbet, G. et al. (1995) ‘Vital Signs for Identification’, Computer Bulletin pp. 14
Vijayan,J (2004). .Computerworld. Framingham: Feb 9, Vol. 38, Iss. 6; p. 30 (2 pages)
Widlake, B (1995) Serious Fraud Office, Little Brown and Company
BBC news online (2004) State Racism fears over ID cards. Available from;
[Accessed 22/04/04]
BBC news online (2004) Other countries ID schemes.Available from;
[Accessed 22/04/04]
BBC news online (2004) Public happy to carry ID cards. Available from;
[Accessed 22/04/04]
10.0 Appendices
Appendix 1.0: Research Proposal;
Appendix 2.0: Exhibit of a ‘chip card’ and a ‘magnetic stripe’ card;
Appendix 2.1: Exhibit of a ‘contact less’ smart card;
Appendix 3.0: Article from Home Office website with regards to David Blunkett MP;
Appendix 4.0: Answers to FAQ’s on identity cards;
Appendix 5.0: News Article from the Guardian;
Appendix 5.1: News Article from the Daily Mirror;
Appendix 5.2: News Article from the Daily Mirror and the Metro (Yorkshire);
Appendix 5.3: News Article from the Guardian;
Appendix 5.4: News Article from the BBC News Website;
Appendix 5.5: News Article from the BBC News Website concerning racism;
Appendix 6.0: News Article from the BBC News Website on ID card legislation;
Appendix 6.1: News Article from the BBC News Website on a mandatory ID card;
Appendix 6.2: News Article from the BBC News Website on ID card and penalties;
Appendix 7.0: News Article from the BBC News Website with a picture of the proposed ID card and related stories in Europe;
Appendix 8.0: The actual Survey Questionnaire used for the report;
Appendix 8.1: A qualitative result of the entire survey;
Appendix 8.2: A quantitative summarised result of the entire survey.
