It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place - H.L. Mencken
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Airport workers unite against ID cards
AIRPORT WORKERS union, Unite is meeting with Home Office officials today to say that they will oppose the imposition of identity cards on its members.
The Home Office said last week that airport workers and those working in other "sensitive locations" would in 2009 be the first to be forced to carry identity cards.
But Steve Turner, Unite's national officer for aviation, will tell the
government that staff checks at airports are stringent enough already.
"Why pick on aviation workers to bring identity cards in," he told
journalists, " because they bring no added value in terms of aviation security"
.
A Unite spokesman said that terrorist scares had typically involved passengers. Airport workers already went three three to six months of checks before they could get jobs.
Under existing checks, even poets can be banged up in jail for writing and thinking things they shouldn't while employed in duty free.
The union's next move will depend on the result of the talks. But its position is a clearly stated opposition to the move. The Home Office response so far is as unequivocal.
"Recording the fingerprints of staff on the national identity register
will ensure we link individual’s to a unique identity, helping maintain public
confidence in the security of our airports," said the Home Office in a
statement.
"It will also speed up the checking process so that employees can start work sooner than they are able to do now,” it said.
The British Airport's Association has refused to enter the debate. The government is making moves to break it up and it is also struggling to win support for its airport expansion programme. µ
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So they're going to expect a rather good checking system that WORKS and provides trustworthy airport workers to be replaced by a half-baked, untrustworthy and insecure ID card system and be able to say that things have IMPROVED ?!?
My God politicians are marvelous. They're the only people on Earth that can spout nonsense all day long and not lose their jobs, or apparently their sleep.
I'd do it in an instant - but first I'd have to have a lobotomy to remove the part of the brain that deals with morals.
You know, that visibly outdated notion that has to do with right or wrong ? I still have it, and it's still throbbing in pain from having read that article.
AT: No they're not, I suggest reading about "Shirley McKie".
"Recording the fingerprints of staff on the national identity register will ensure we link individual’s to a unique identity, helping maintain public confidence in the security of our airports," said the Home Office in a statement.

No it will not! If I am a prospective airport worker and I apply with birth certificates etc to establish that I am fred bloggs it will make not a jot of difference whether or not my fingerprints are stored somewhere. Fingerprints are NOT unique! duplicates are rare, but in a population of 60m, they are to be expected.

AT adds: "Fingerprints are NOT unique"? That'll be a blow to the world's law-enforcement agencies. Be sure to drop them a line to warn them.
Force 'em to put their identity where their big mouth is: make 'em go ID Card all the way, before anyone else.

IF the database gets compromised, it'll mean *those responsible* for the "security" are now at risk.

IF they do it ( go first ), and they consider it trustworthy for them, THEN begin adding us others. . .
...until they actually implement decent physical security systems in the first place. Considering the recent events in heathrow where protestors actually managed to get on a plane (http://tinyurl.com/ysltbd), im pretty certain there are much more important areas to focus rather than an expensive and probably hackable ID card system.

I have absolutely zero faith in the government IT systems these days...
Doubts about the uniqueness of fingerprints, and problems with an FBI study:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4611