ID card rollout begins

[Nicholas Bohm]

Ian Batten wrote:
> 
> On 26 Sep 08, at 1454, Charles Lindsey wrote:
> 
>> On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:55:09 +0100, Ian Batten <igb@batten.eu.org> wrote:
>>
>>>> I would imagine that "appearing to relate" will in future include 
>>>> checking the biometrics.
>>>
>>> I'd be stunned if it did.
>>>
>>> Firstly, what does `checking the biometrics' mean?  `Checking' 
>>> photographs falls into the `appears to relate' category: it's 
>>> entirely subjective.  ``Yeah, it looked like him, but maybe it was a 
>>> bit dark in the room''.   If the government cares to underwrite 
>>> providing fingerprint readers to every employer in the country, let 
>>> them try, but I suspect the multi-billion pound bill may prove a 
>>> little rich for their appetite.
>>
>> Seeing the photograph blown up onto a decent-sized screen would be a 
>> good start, as would checking that and public signature key used was 
>> known to belong to a trusted issuing authority.
> 
> Why would I want to do that?  The current legal test is ``appears to 
> relate''.  The current process is that someone idly glances at a 
> passport and checks the photograph is vaguely right.  They have no way 
> to check the validity of UK passports, ......

If you're trusted and willing to pay, you can check UK passport validity 
- see www.ips.gov.uk/identity/working-pvs.asp

Now electricity bill validity, that's a hard one.

Nick
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