25 April 2008

Campaign group NO2ID [1] condemned plans announced today to introduce unmanned border checkpoints using facial recognition technology as deliberate misdirection.

Though details are yet to be confirmed, comments by Home Office minister Liam Byrne [2] seem to indicate that the system will actually be based on reading the personal information stored on microchips in the new ‘ePassports’. And that this will feed into the eBorders and ‘Advanced Passenger Information’ (API) systems that already spread tens of millions of travellers’ personal details around the world.

NO2ID has already demonstrated the vulnerability of the personal information held on the chip embedded in the passport – first reading the supposedly secure chip using equipment bought over the internet for less than £100 [3] and then extracting all the data from an unknown person’s passport, still sealed within the envelope in which it was sent from the Passport Office [4].

Phil Booth, NO2ID’s national coordinator, said:
These technologies are only being introduced to make it easier to collect and track personal information about travellers.

People shouldn’t be fooled by ministers’ fairytale claims about biometrics, but should rather be asking where their personal details are being sent and why. Transmitting uour passport data, home address, and even credit card details abroad shows contempt for YOUR security. And waving a camera in your face while doing it is just misdirection.”

-ENDS-

Notes for editors

1) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate.php for a list of ‘database state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing.

2) ‘Face scans for air passengers to begin in UK this summer’, Guardian, 25/4/08 -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/25/theairlineindustry.transport

3) http://www.guardian.co.uk/idcards/story/0,,1950226,00.html – working with security expert Adam Laurie, NO2ID were able to extract all the stored data from the new ‘biometric’ e-Passport using equipment bought for less than £100 over the internet. This data would not only allow criminals to ‘clone’ new chips with valid data into fake passports, but could also be used to facilitate fraud and identity theft.

4) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=440069&in_page_id=1770 – confounding Home Office claims that the data chip could only be accessed if the passport’s unique ‘MRZ number’ is known, NO2ID read all the data from the chip on a new passport *still sealed inside the envelope* in which it was sent by supposedly “secure delivery” to its new owner.

For immediate release, 9/4/08

The platform at NO2ID’s mayoral hustings [1] last night was unanimous: Oyster card and Congestion Charge data should not be used for any other purposes than collecting fares or charges without a warrant. Boris Johnson, Brian Paddick, Gerard Batten, Jenny Jones and Lindsey German were united in calling for a change in the current practice, where details of passenger and driver movements are disclosed on request to the DVLA, police and certain other government agencies [2].

The unpopularity [3] of the National Identity Scheme was clearly illustrated by uniform condemnation from the platform of ID cards and particularly the National Identity Register, the database behind the cards.

NO2ID’s mayoral hustings last night was attended by all parties with London representation at Westminster, in Strasbourg or in the GLA, except the Labour Party. Siân Berry (Green) sent Jenny Jones to represent her on the night, but – given every opportunity – the current Mayor declined to attend [4] and failed either to send a representative or give any response to NO2ID’s questions, which were sent in advance to all invitees.

Commenting on the candidates’ positions, Phil Booth, NO2ID’s national coordinator, said:

“The relentless expansion of the database state into every aspect of our daily lives threatens privacy, personal security and even the presumption of innocence. What the government calls ‘data sharing’ is, in many cases, search without warrant.

“Londoners are among the most watched people on earth. It is hugely encouraging that the majority of those running for London mayor recognise this, and have committed to reversing the tide of mass surveillance.”

-ENDS-

Notes for editors

1) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate.php for a list of ‘database
state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing. The hustings were held at Friends House, Euston Road from 7pm.

2) Currently police make more than 3,000 requests a year for Oyster travel details and this is sharply increasing:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23440524-details/Police+make+3,000+requests+for+data+from+Oyster+cards/article.do

They have been given real-time access to Congestion Charge data for anti-terrorism purposes already:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6902543.stm

However, such information can be requested on an ad hoc basis without a warrant.

3) The last 4 independent polls NO2ID has seen show that more people oppose ID cards than want them:

Populus poll for the Times, 21/11/07 – 55% “drop ID cards”, 29% “go ahead with ID cards”:
http://www.populuslimited.com/uploads/download_pdf-211107-The-Times-Britains-Economy.pdf

BPIX poll for the Mail on Sunday, 25/11/08 – 46 % opposed to ID cards, 43% in favour:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=496237&in_page_id=1770

YouGov poll for the Telegraph, 3/12/07 – 48% against ID cards, 43% in favour:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/03/nidcards103.xml

ICM poll for the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd, 6/2/08 – 50% “bad idea”, 47% “good idea”:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/06/politics.idcards

4) Both Boris Johnson and Brian Paddick went directly from NO2ID’s hustings to Newsnight’s televised debate with Ken Livingstone later that evening.