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Friday, February 10, 2006

Australian Identity Card "a dumb idea"

Federal Government consideration of the merits of a national identity card continues but critics of the idea are highlighting weaknesses in the arguments so far. Anna Johnston the chair of the Australian Privacy Foundation in a paper posted on Australian Policy Online, puts forward six reasons why the costs far out-strip any possible benefits:

  1. ID cards are of doubtful effectiveness in tackling identity fraud, crime and terrorism
  2. ID cards would not prevent identification errors being made
  3. The cost of a national ID system would be staggering and wasteful
  4. There is widespread public opposition to ID cards
  5. A national ID card is significantly different to what we have now
  6. The ipact on the Australian way of life would be profound

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