Spies-R-Us
TAKE A STAND - MAKE THE NO2ID PLEDGE
This week we launched The NO2ID Pledge - a way for people to personally
and publicly declare that they will refuse to comply with the
government's ID scheme. It says:"I solemnly and publicly promise that:
- I shall not register for a national identity card
- I shall not supply personal details or fingerprints to a National Identity Register
- I shall not apply for any document or service if joining the National Identity Register is a condition of obtaining it
- I shall not co-operate with any Identity and Passport Service interview concerning my identity.
The pledge is an act of *pre-emptive* resistance and is, as such, entirely legal. It's something positive that you can do NOW. In fact, there's not much ID law to break at present - most of the powers in the Identity Cards Act 2006 have yet to be brought into force. The government certainly hasn't made it illegal to declare you'll refuse to go along with its scheme.
The ID scheme is like a vampire. It has no life of its own, and thrives only if it feeds.
There is its weakness. We, collectively, can choose to starve the Identity and Passport Service. It only works smoothly if few are prepared to face some inconvenience to resist. It only works at all if a large majority of the population can be hypnotised into thinking that it is just routine, no big deal. If enough of us refuse to be bled willingly, the beast will either starve or show its fangs.
The NO2ID Pledge will lead to civil disobedience only if the government fails to see sense and scrap its monstrous ID scheme. The polls have long said millions will not submit to being numbered like cattle. Is the government really going to risk trying to make them beg to be branded?
To make pledging straightforward we have created The NO2ID Pledge certificate, for you to fill out and sign in front of a witness. You can find out more and download certificates from http://www.no2id.net/pledge/
Please don't just print one copy... print five... or fifty and pass them on to people who you think might also pledge. The idea is to spread The NO2ID Pledge as far and as wide as possible.
Anyone can do it. Anyone can help others do it. And the more who do, the easier it is.
Note: This is a new pledge, if you signed our previous PledgeBank "refuse" pledge then you can still make this pledge.
++ STOP PRESS ++
THE NO2ID PLEDGE ON FRICTION.TV
The new Ministry of Justice is deliberately working to "overcome current barriers to information sharing within the public sector". Ministers insist that personal details on the proposed National Identity Register will be "protected by biometrics" when they can't be. The government clearly hasn't changed its tune, so it's time we did something... NOW.
Phil Booth, NO2ID's national coordinator, introduces The NO2ID Pledge on Friction.tv - http://www.friction.tv/index.php?vid=1471
If you haven't done so already (and we do know that some of you have already been very busy in your local papers) here's an ideal opportunity for you to have your say. Click 'Fire Back by Text' to add your comment, or 'Fire Back by Video' to upload your own video.
What's next?
Local groups news
We now have groups in 36 of the 69 locations of ID interrogation centres (see www.no2id.net/getInvolved/idCentres.php). If you can help to set up a local group in one of the remaining towns then please contact our Local Groups liaisons Matty and Deborah at (local.groups@no2id.net). A full list of local groups can be found at www.no2id.net/localGroupsSaturdays 1pm - 3pm - NO2ID Edinburgh street stall
Every week, weather permitting, you will find our campaigning stall at the east end of Princes Street, opposite the Balmoral Hotel. Do drop by for a chat. New volunteers - please contact John (edinburgh@no2id.net), and for more group information see http://www.no2id-scotland.net/edinburgh/Most Saturdays 2pm - NO2ID Glasgow Street Stall
Most Saturdays there are stalls in Glasgow city centre (usually Buchanan Street) from about 2pm. Volunteers are always welcome, please contact Geraint if you would like to help: glasgow@no2id.netPassport interrogations (Glasgow)
Glasgow NO2ID are keen to hear from anyone who has been summoned to
attend the interrogation centre at Blythswood House after applying for
their first passport. Please contact Geraint at glasgow@no2id.net or
Charlie at myspace.com/no2idglasgow8th December - Newcastle/Gateshead NO2ID Street stall (2nd Saturday of each month)
Saturday, 8th December 11.00am to 1.00pm at the monument in Newcastle.8th December - Manchester NO2ID Street Stall
Saturday, 8th December, 1pm-3pm, we'll be running a Saturday afternoon stall in St. Anne's Square. We'll meet in the square itself at 1pm to set up shop; feel free to join us to lend a hand or just chat. We will be raising awareness, engaging people in discussion about the NIR, and encouraging people to take the NO2ID pledge. You don't need any experience or equipment, just a bit of time to spare and a friendly smile!9th December - NO2ID stall Swiss Cottage (Joint Initiative by Southwark Kensington & Chelsea and Camden)
On 4th November three groups manned a stall at Swiss Cottage and collected signatures and donations. We will repeat the same exercise on Sunday 9th December. While someone mans the stall, the rest spread out walking round Swiss Cottage shopping areas with the petition collecting signatures and donations. If you live in London and you are free on 9th December, please come and join us. For more information email camden@no2id.net, kensington@no2id.net or southwark@no2id.net10th December - Coventry NO2ID 1st Meeting
Monday, 10th December 7pm in The Rocket pub (opposite Central Six retail park). All local people who would like to get more involved are welcome. Contact Claire: coventry@no2id.net for more information.10th December - Kensington & Chelsea NO2ID Planning Meeting
Monday, 10th December 7.30pm to about 9 in South Kensington (nearest tube Gloucester Road), we are having a second event planning meeting. Please Contact Kensington & Chelsea NO2ID (kensington@no2id.net) for full details or if you would like to see the minutes of the last meeting. There is also information on http://kensingtonandchelseano2id.blogspot.com/ plus the Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kensingtonandchelseano2id/ and the Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=578016419611th December - Glasgow NO2ID Meeting
Tuesday, 11th December 8pm, our final meeting of the year - usual time, usual place. Mono at 8pm (Map: http://www.no2id-scotland.net/glasgow/meeting.html). All Welcome.11th December - "Surveillance Society: Turning Debate into Action"
- Manchester (Free with Limited places) + NO2ID flyering
Tuesday, 11th December, 9:30am-6:30pm at the Bridgewater Hall in
central Manchester. The Information Commissioner's Office will be
hosting a conference that aims to build on their previous report, A
Surveillance Society, and will be looking forward to actions that can
be taken to deal with the consequences of a surveillance society. The
Information Commissioner also intends to launch a handbook on Privacy
Impact Assessments at the conference. If anybody is free to flyer for
NO2ID outside the venue at the start or end of the day, please contact
us on manchester@no2id.net12th December - Manchester NO2ID Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, 12th December, 7pm-9pm in the upstairs function room of the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane, Manchester. Sadly, this venue is not wheelchair-accessible; please contact us if you have accessibility needs. The Town Hall Tavern serves reasonably-priced, good quality food until 8pm so you don't need to pop home for tea - you can even order your meal brought up to the function room.2nd January - Cambridge NO2ID pub meeting
Wednesday, 2nd January 7.30pm at the Salisbury Arms, 76 Tenison Rd, Cambridge CB1 2DW (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=cb1+2dw). Cambridge NO2ID's informal pub meetings are on the first Wednesday of each month. For more details contact cambridge@no2id.net, or text/call Andrew on 07710 469624.What just happened?
Manchester NO2ID Stunt - Distributing "Confidential Database"
Following HMRC's leaking of millions of personal details, including addresses, national insurance numbers and bank details, Manchester NO2ID took to the streets to distribute CD-ROMs labelled "Confidential Data" to the public. The CD wallets contained NO2ID flyers, and information about the HMRC data leak and the NO2ID campaign. You can download the informational flyer from http://manchester.no2id.net/node/22Edinburgh NO2ID - 'Taking Liberties' Revisited
Perhaps aided by the HMRC debacle, the Edinburgh group had its highest attendance for nearly two years at its 27th November meeting. The group agreed to loan out from its weekly stall, without formality, two copies of the "Taking Liberties" DVD and book - the idea being to show that mutual trust did still exist in some sections of society. The group viewed and discussed some of the extra features on the DVD, which were just as worrying as the film itself - an everyday story of control freakery, ignorance, incompetence and greed.Worcester NO2ID anti-ID card cartoons
NO2ID Worcester is keeping up the pressure on Labour's MP for Worcester, Michael Foster, as he resolutely refuses to engage in a public debate. Group co-ordinator Luke Albarin said: "We're now hoping to challenge him with the aid of the Tories and Lib Dems." One of the group's members, Cathy Simpson, a professional cartoonist has designed a series of snappy cartoons which the group is planning to offer for use throughout NO2ID.New YouGov poll shows more opposed to ID cards than in favour
A YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph, shows 48 per cent of those questioned were against ID cards versus 43 per cent in favour. Many media reports have commented that this is the first time more have opposed ID cards but in fact Privacy International’s analysis of a YouGov poll dating back to 2004 demonstrates significant hardcore opposition before the ID legislation was even laid before Parliament (see http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/idcard/uk/idpollanalysis.pdf)
Justice Committee hear evidence from Information Commissioner on Protection of private data
On Tuesday (4th December) the Information Commission, Richard Thomas,
and the Deputy Information Commissioner, David Smith, gave evidence to
the House of Commons Justice Committee on 'Protection of private data'.
The Information Commissioner said that his forthcoming review of
Information Sharing which is to be undertaken with Dr Mark Walport,
Director of the Wellcome Trust, which is just getting under way will
take a fresh look at information sharing in light of recent events. He
also said that a consultation document linked to the review will be
published shortly. Speaking of the ID scheme Thomas said: "Any massive
collection of data like this holds risks".
Watch the session at http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/
VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=580
A transcript of the session will be on the committee's website shortly: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmjust.htm
Private Eye reveal Blunkett's undeclared ID card interests
Private Eye (issue 1198) recently reported on David Blunkett's continuing enthusiasm for ID cards - which he trumpets in his newspaper column in The Sun. The Eye pointed out though that nowhere in his column has he declared his interest in the project: "since March this year, the former home secretary has supplemented his earnings from Parliament and the Dirty Digger with a £30,000-a-year job chairing the international advisory committee of Entrust Inc, a Texas-based security company which hopes to provide software for the British ID card system"."ID" in the news
Public says no to ID cards, No2ID says 'starve the beast!' - The Register 3/12/07
NO2ID has launched a new campaign of civil disobedience* against ID cards, as a new poll shows that for the first time, opponents of the cards outnumber supporters. The poll - carried out by YouGov for the Daily Telegraph, shows 48 per cent against versus 43 per cent for.http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12
/03/no2id_non_coop_pledge/
Europeans could get access to UK ID database - The Register 28/11/07
Updated News emerged yesterday of a mysterious international ID card plan, described by the Tories as "a European-wide identity card project called Project Stork". The Conservatives suggested in Parliament that Stork was a huge Europe-wide extension to the planned UK National ID card with its associated databases and biometrics. "How," asked the shadow Home Sec David Davis, did the government intend to "prevent a repetition of the disaster of the past few weeks when sensitive personal data are held not by one Government but by 27?"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/28/stork_id_fracas/
Coming next... an even bigger database - Telegraph 27/11/07
Gordon Brown used to be known as the Macavity of politics, who was never at the scene of the crime when things went wrong. Now he is in danger of turning into TS Eliot's other feline creations, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, who get the blame for every misfortune that occurs, whether or not it is their fault.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?
xml=/opinion/2007/11/27/do2701.xml
Data protection won't help once all the data is gone - The Guardian 27/11/07
Last week's loss of confidential child benefit records has been a wake-up call to 25 million people about the reality of the government's handling of our personal information. But few realise the extent of what lies ahead. The Identity Cards Act, which slipped, barely noted, on to the statute books in 2006, is the jewel in the crown of a wholesale and well-advanced government commitment to "share" data about each of us between departments on an unprecedented scale.http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/
comment/0,,2217556,00.html
Child database system postponed [delayed! - Ed] - BBC News Online 27/11/07
Ministers are postponing a new database on every child in England, pending a security review and changes to the system including its access controls. Children's minister Kevin Brennan told MPs there would be a five-month delay to the £224m system, ContactPoint.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7115546.stm
Innocents fear DNA database errors - Telegraph 26/11/2007
Thousands of people could be accused of a crime they did not commit as a result of errors in records on the national DNA database, it emerged last night. In the past year, more than 100 possible inaccuracies in the documentation of DNA profiles have been discovered, and a further 1,500 administrative mistakes have been logged on the system.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml
?xml=/news/2007/11/26/ndna126.xml
Just because it's digital doesn't mean it's safe - Telegraph 26/11/07
It stands to reason, does it not, that all paper records should be put in digital form so that they can be accessed online. It is simpler, quicker, cheaper and more efficient. Who wants to plough through lots of dusty files when the information can be available at the click of a mouse? This is the rationale behind a three-year project called Dove - the Digitisation of Vital Events.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml
?xml=/opinion/2007/11/26/do2601.xml
US : New Fingerprinting Law Aims to Protect Kids - woai.com 26/11/07
A new law is geared at keeping your kids safe inside public schools and it requires fingerprinting for all school employees. Senate Bill 9, the new fingerprinting law, would require all statewide [Texas] school employees to be fingerprinted by the beginning of the year.http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?
content_id=6ee8df5a-d95a-440b-be4b-46fbe5f1b307
(Please send me any items of interest you encounter - Editor(newsletter@no2id.net) )
We are sending you this because you have indicated you want to receive news about the NO2ID campaign.
You can change how you receive our newsletter, or cancel it, by using the 'Unsubscribe or edit options' form at the bottom of this page:
http://www.no2id.net/mailman/listinfo/no2id-supporters
If you have any problems, please send an e-mail to listmaster@no2id.net
Publication details: © NO2ID 2007 - This document may be freely redistributed in one-to-one communications or physical copies as long as it is reproduced in its entirety including this notice. It may not be mass-mailed without the prior permission of NO2ID.
NO2ID, Box 412, 19-21 Crawford Street, LONDON W1H 1PJ