[Gllug] re: USA / civil liberties etc

[Jason Clifford]

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006, t.clarke wrote:

>  What ID Cards really do
> ...

There is another likely aspect of this that many people are overlooking - 
if there are any errors in this database (parts of which you will NOT be 
able to gain access to under the various rights of access laws as it will 
also be a state security database) you will be liable to large fines as a 
result and it will be your responsibility to find and correct them.

The government will act as though the database *cannot* be wrong. 
Therefore you must be exactly as descibed. 

If you are wrongly listed as earning $income*1.5 you will suddenly find 
yourself taxed accordingly and fined and possibly prosecuted for tax 
evasion.

If you are listed as enquiring into the purchase of certain types of 
materials or communication with certain others you may find yourself 
waking up to the lovely vision (blurred though it may be) of armed police 
and other "security" forces of the state. If you think this is far fetched 
consider the last 2 Acts of Parliament claimed to address terrorism and 
just how wide the powers contained in them are.

If you are listed as being the father of a child in error you may suddenly 
find yourself subject to an attachment of earning by the CSA or their 
equivilent.

If you are accidently confused with someone listed on the sex abuse 
register ...

These are just the most obvious examples. Consider how hard you might find 
it to disprove these and rescue your reputation/life?

There are very good reasons to limit the amount of information the state 
(or anyone, for that matter) can hold. We're already moving further and 
further towards a totalitarian state - albeit a more subtle form than 
those seen in much of europe in the last century (at the moment). If the 
state has sufficient information it will be practically impossible for 
any innocent group targetted by the state to escape.

Jason

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