Commissioner 'increasingly alarmed' by ID card scheme | The Register: "Commissioner 'increasingly alarmed' by ID card scheme
By John Lettice
Published Wednesday 9th June 2004 10:09� GMT
David Blunkett's ID card draft bill came under fire yesterday from Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, who told the Home Affairs Committee ID cards inquiry that his views on the subject had changed from healthy scepticism to 'increasing alarm.' Thomas, who intends to publish a critique of the draft next month, attacked the draft for lack of clarity or any clear statement of purpose, and pointed out that the real issue was not the individual's ability to identify themself with a piece of plastic, but the nature of the information to be held on the central ID register.
The Home Office, astoundingly, responded that Thomas was engaging in a 'bit of grandstanding', expressing surprise that he hadn't raised his concerns directly with Home Secretary Blunkett."
