No ID, No Problem: Why Identity Cards Are a Threat to Our Liberty (Also Me)

Identity cards are documents that contain personal information about an individual, such as their name, date of birth, address, biometric data, and so on. They are often used by governments to verify the identity of their citizens and provide them with access to various public services. However, identity cards can also pose a serious threat to our personal freedom and privacy, as they can enable the state to monitor and control our lives in unprecedented ways.

One of the main arguments in favor of identity cards is that they can help the state to serve the citizen better, by facilitating the delivery of welfare, health care, education, and other benefits. However, this argument assumes that the state is benevolent and trustworthy and that it will not misuse the personal data that it collects and stores. This is a risky assumption, as history has shown that many states have abused their power and violated the rights of their citizens, especially those who belong to marginalized or oppressed groups. For example, during the Nazi regime in Germany, identity cards were used to identify and persecute Jews and other minorities. Similarly, in apartheid South Africa, identity cards were used to enforce racial segregation and discrimination. Therefore, identity cards can be a tool of oppression and injustice, rather than a tool of service and empowerment.

Another argument in favor of identity cards is that they can enhance the security and stability of society, by preventing crime, terrorism, fraud, and illegal immigration. However, this argument is based on the false premise that identity cards can effectively deter or detect these activities and that they are worth the cost of sacrificing our civil liberties. In reality, identity cards can be easily forged, stolen, or hacked, and they can create a false sense of security that can undermine other more effective measures. Moreover, identity cards can infringe on our freedom of movement, expression, association, and protest, as they can enable the state to track and control our whereabouts, communications, affiliations, and activities. For example, in the UK, the Labour government proposed to introduce a national identity card scheme in 2006, which was met with strong opposition from various civil liberty groups, who perceived it as a major invasion of privacy and civic freedom. The scheme was eventually scrapped by the Conservative-Liberal coalition government in 2010, after a legal challenge by a citizen who refused to show his identity card to a police officer.

In conclusion, identity cards can be an infringement of our personal liberty, as they can give the state too much power and information over our lives, and expose us to the risk of abuse, discrimination, and surveillance. We should resist any attempts to impose identity cards on us, and instead demand that our rights and dignity are respected and protected. Identity cards are not a solution to the problems of society, but a symptom of a deeper crisis of democracy and trust.

Peace Out