After years of little more than hot air from a sequence of Home Secretaries, we’re finally getting to see the fine detail of what “ID cards” will really mean to the average person. It may be quite a shock to those who haven’t been paying attention.

It is not just the sheer amount of personal information that you will be required to surrender – a wake-up for any remaining who thought this was a simple card – it is the threats that will be used to force compliance. You could have £1000 penalties sent to you by e-mail if IPS thinks you’ve been bad – and why might they think that?

If you fail to turn up at a time and place of their choosing; refuse to be fingerprinted, photographed or hand over documents (e.g. birth or marriage certificates); fail to tell them you’ve moved house for 3 months.

And anything that *they* reckon is “deliberate or reckless” provision of incorrect information could lead to 2 years in prison. Welcome to a lifetime of state identity control…

Phil Booth, NO2ID [3] national coordinator said: “So the state ‘managing’ your identity boils down to telling them everything there is to know about you, under threat – and coughing up time and again for the privilege.”

“This must be a wake-up call for everyone who bought the line that ID was just a simple card.”

…

Other dubious ‘highlights’ include:

• a tax on marriage - women who change their name will have to buy a new card;
• those without bank accounts won’t be able to get ID – you can only pay by credit or debit card, or cheque;
• the homeless will be able to nominate a park bench as their ‘address’

Source: NO2ID
Consultation Document: 12 Week consultation from the Home Office