A question of identity!
Database nation: A recent news item said that the Government is
planning to setup an electronic civilian security database to ensure
security and public welfare.
The manner in which the citizen information would be collected has
not yet been revealed but some analysts believe that the reason for this
concept is due to the present difficulty of obtaining citizen
information through National Identity cards.
That assessment is right. Talking about our National ID cards, one
can even wonder whether it serves today any purpose at all. Some believe
it doesn't.
For example, the writer's NID is 32 years old, the photograph
resembles very little of him and the data do not reflect his present
address.
This is the fate of most the old cards in circulation today.
It is time the Government seriously analyse the ID card system
prevailing in Sri Lanka: whether a modern new card is needed or not, and
if needed, what data should be included and how it could be done taking
cost/benefit factor into consideration.
ID cards are in use, in one form or another in numerous countries
around the world out of which around a hundred countries have compulsory
national IDs. Many developed countries, however, do not have IDs as
such.
The citizens use a health or social security card, or traditional
paper documents for identification purposes.
The majority of cards in use in developed nations, where the national
IDs are used, have the holders name, sex, date of birth, and issuing
coordinates printed on the card itself.
An expiry date, and a special number is also embossed, along with a
space for a signature.
The key element of these cards is its number, which is used as an
administrative mechanism for a variety of purposes.
Only a few cards include a photograph and fingerprint.
In a small number of cases, notably Singapore and some Asian nations,
cards contain a bar code, which is seen by authorities as more reliable
and durable than a magnetic stripe. The French and English are now
moving toward a machine readable card.
If our Government eventually decides to pursue on a new identity
management scheme (which most people believe it should), first of all,
the cost of the operation must be evaluated.
The costs may look prohibitive but today's necessity is such, we
cannot afford to delay the operation any longer. Perhaps we could think
of a phased-out programme wherein the cost could be spread across a
number of years.
In this context, we can learn a lesson from England how they have
planned the transformation. The British national identity card is to be
introduced in 2008, under the provisions of the Identity Cards Act 2006.
From 2008, everyone renewing a passport will be issued an ID card and
have their details placed on the associated database - the National
Identity Register (NIR). Until 2010 people can choose not to be issued a
card, though they will still have to pay for one, and will still be
placed on the database.
The Government's plan is that registration will become compulsory for
all UK residents by 2013. It is estimated that by this date up to 80% of
the working population will already have some kind of biometric identity
document.
The ID cards will record biometric data, including fingerprints,
digitized facial scan and iris scan. Although much of the focus has been
on the identity cards themselves, not least in the title of the Identity
Cards Bill, it is the National Identity Register database that is the
key component.
The National Identity Register will duplicate the biometric data on
the card, together with the current and past places of residence of all
residents of the UK throughout their lives.
There will be a legal requirement for all residents to update their
addresses. Due to the data stored on the Register, cards will not be
essential to establish identity, since a biometric scan would suffice.
The NIR database is expected to perform a key role in the delivery of
Government services over the Internet in the future. Home Office
forecasts that "265 government departments and as many as 48,000
accredited private sector organizations" will also have access to the
database.
We need not have all those specialties as envisaged by Englishmen but
just the basic data relevant to the security and social environment of
the country including photograph and signature.
What is most important is that the data could be fed into a central
network system and accessible to "specified" departments or agencies.
It is now a known fact that a modern ID programme definitely can
provide better qualitative public services to the citizens and pave the
way to e-Government services. We live in a new world, and now must make
some careful adjustments to our way of life.
To require everyone within our borders to identify themselves in a
reliable manner is a big step in the right direction. |