Anyone know more about this BT "uk identity verification" scheme?

[David Hansen]

On 5 Mar 2003 at 10:46, David Howe wrote:

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2808281.stm

> The scheme is a joint venture between BT and the data capture firm,
> the GB Group.

Well, we know about British Telecom.

http://www.gb.co.uk responds to my copy of Opera with the following 
message:

>To view these pages properly your browser needs to support 
>Javascript. This may mean that you need to upgrade to Netscape 
>Communicator 4.0 or later, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or 
>later. Also, In your browser Preferences, enable JavaScript. Please 
>see our error page for more information.

As it happens Javascript is turned on. The "error page" they provide 
a link to responds with 404. So they are incapable of designing web 
pages. I wonder how capable they are at doing anything else?

> Meter Point Asset Number - the number in the corner of every
> household electricity bill which is unique to that property.

Bollocks.

My business address has at least three of the dammed things and it 
appears that they are trying for more in order to sort out the mess 
they have created. I blame the party politicians who "privatised" the 
electricity industry and even more I blame the party politicians who 
have been in power since 1997, but have failed to sort out the mess.

Anybody like British Telecom and "the GB Group" stupid enough to rely 
on such a thing will soon discover that it is no more unique than the 
many other "unique" numbers that are nothing of the sort.

0/10.

And the Home Office wants to introduce compulsory identity cards! Why 
can't they do something useful, like getting rid of RIP and replacing 
it with a proper law in this area?

--
  David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
 I will *always* explain why I revoke a key, unless the UK 
 government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.