uk identity verification schees

[David Swarbrick]

> A typical BT c*ck up.  The false rejection ratio will be astronomical,
for
> example:

I wouldn't trust BT, but in any event the fundamental questions seem to 
me to be 

1 that the more technical an ID check system becomes, the less anyone 
dealing with it can themselves judge its reliability, and the more they 
come to think 'Computer knows best' or 'Non-one will blame me if I 
follow the comuter print out' or 'Nobody would be daft enough to bring 
in a system of identifying people by their Irises/corneas/fingerprints/
dna unless it was foolproof'. Greater and greater reliance, and less '
thinking' is used in such reliance on such systems. More and more of 
value is committed to them.

and 

2 The chap who was recently wrongly arrested in South Africa was not 
listened to because people relied upon an ID system and failed to make 
or allow proper 'reality' checks.

3 Anyone designing and selling such a system will/must always deny that 
it has been compromised, or can be compromised even when they know it 
to have been compromised. Therefore we cannot trust a denial.

When combined with the simple (necessary?) proposition that every such 
system must be assumed to have inaccuracies and weaknesses, we face a 
terrifying prospect.

A 'techie' ID system will inevitably lead to many false identifications 
and mis-identifications. The consequences will be greater as more 
reliance comes to be placed on them. This might be for example the 
denial of treatment at hospital perhaps. 

The systems for backing IDs with real world checks will be diminished 
Might not a business partner of the chap in South Africa be himself 
accused of involvement, and therefore be less likely to want to stand 
up for him. We have already seen this over the years as banks have 
wanted to prosecute for fraud anyone who had the temerity to suggest 
that their ID system (cashcard + pin number) might be less than 100%.

Those responsible for thinking about introducing these things need 
either to understand why, in logic, they are likely simply to create a 
greater mess than we now have by introducing ID/benefit/entitlement 
cards. 

If they do not think this will happen, they need to explain why it will 
not happen. The only answer would be a promise that any system will be 
100% accurate. Nobody on this list will, I hope, believe them.

Simon. Are you still here?




-- 
David Swarbrıck  david@swarb.freeuk.com
david.swarbrick@lawindexpro.co.uk