Crime and Prevention

Investigate the Pros and Cons of ID Cards

Intro: Using the internet, research exactly what is being proposed by the UK government and what the objections are.
Write a list of all of the ICT that is involved in the UK's proposed card scheme
State what the purpose of the ID card is meant to be
Evaluate whether it will meet this purpose
Enumerate the advantages of such a system and the drawbacks
Make you personal recommendation as to whether we should have ID cards.

Answer: ID cards are being proposed to be issued in 2009 to people over the age of 16. It will contain such information such as, name, address, gender, date and place of birth, fingerprints, iris pattern and a facial picture. Different forms of I.C.T. will be used to make the ID cards and to photograph iris patterns and also to take finger prints. The information will be stored in a database called the National Identity Register. In this database, only parliment can change aspects of people details. The data will only be used to determine your data accuratly. Also, biometric identifiers are being used to identify unique characteristics about a person, for example, finger prints and iris scans.
I took the purpose of the ID cards from the Home Office website. "ID cards will provide an easy and secure way for legal UK residents to prove who they are when they apply for services at private businesses, or for government benefits." Also, the website states that it will; help protect people against freud and theft, ensure that people say who they are, tackle illegal immagration and enable easier access to public services
Personally, i feel that ID cards may be able to lower the rates of freud as your finger print and iris are unique meaning that it is very unlikley that someone will be able to copy them. Also, the card will only hold basic information about a person meaning it isn't a threat to our personal privacy. These cards are being made to prove identity meaning sensitive medical records will not be held.
Advantages For ID cards are :- Easier identification at banks and national borders
:- False Identification will be reduced
:- Law enforements can identify people much more easily and effeciently
:- Age ID would be much easier to use (going into an 16 film)
:- Reduce immigration service bureaucracy
Disadvantages for ID cards are :- Driver's license, passport card serve a similar function on a more limited scale
:- Can lead to cases of discrimination if enthic background and religoin are shown.
:- Cost of manufactering ID cards could be huge.
:- ID cards may be able to be forged leading to more Freud.
:- Requirement to always carry the ID card may prove inconvient.
In my opinion i feel that ID cards shouldn't be used. First of all, we don't have them now and we are getting along fine without them. Also, i feel the ID card should be optional because some people don't need an ID card on a day to day basis. Also, people may feel it is an infringement of human rights if all their details are on 1 card. This may be stolen and then the person has your details.

URL: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/passports-and-immigration/id-cards/
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ID_cards#United_Kingdom

Discussion - US passports and RFID

Intro: The US department of homeland security has decided that 1 million US passports will contain radio frequency ID chips in 2005, moving to a Universal system from 2006. These RFID tags will allow customs officials to scan passports using special radio recievers. They will not have to approach the travelers directly but scan them from nearby. The passports will contain biometric and other information. (Source: 'We don't need to see your ID' New scientist 23rd October 2004.)

It will be faster and more convenient for customs but what are the dangers?

Answer:Using Radio Frequency Identifcation will be quicker and more convenient as when you are passing through an airport, you can get through customs quicker and more effiecntly than if you had to have someone check each passport. However, if someone has an old passport which the RFID tag, then they may be held up thus slowing down the system. However, 10 million passports with RFID were produced in 2005 and it is estimated that over 13 million were produced in 2006. The dangers to the system is main fraud. The fact that custom officers don't check the passports, people could get into countries more easier if they steal a passport with RFID on it. Also, it will increase the risk of non identification meaning a higher level of fraud involved in the RFID process.

Discussion - Teen Arrive Alive GPS tracking system

Intro:The company claims that nearly 78% of teens in the US are ticketed or crash by the time they are 18. Among other services, the Teen Arrive Alive organisation offers GPS tracking of teenagers to parents who may be worried if their child is late, missing, lost, abducted or not driving very well. Using a cell phone and GPS technology, parents can track their child's driving in real time. The route shows up on a digital map showing the speed travelled
Research the website and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this use of technology to "protect" teenagers

Answer:Advantages to this system is the fact that parents can monitor their child's driving and therefore provide guidence if they are doing it wrong or are speeding. Another advantage is the fact that the parent can track the child so if they are late they know were they are. This will therefore reduce panic because they know were their child is without distracting them from the road (like a mobile phone would do).
Disadvantages to this system is the fact that if the parent calls the child while they are driving telling them they are speeding may distract them from the road and they therefore may crash or be in an accident which would be ironic seeing as the system is meant to make the child more safe.

Case Study - Monitoring Internet and E-mail Use

Answer:Advantages to the content monitoring system is the fact that if there is a file which is inapropriate will be filtered out so they can't download it or view it. This therefore, discourages bad internet use, such as, view pornography at work. Also, filtering out key words in e-mails and web pages will also encourage users to not view these items on the internet rather than not working. After which, the sites the employees were viewing can then be blocked to stop more employees viewing that website.
Negative aspects that a content monitoring system may have on a company is the fact that it may dissuade people from applying to the job as they may see it as an infringement of privacy. Also, if they have something personal in one of thier e-mails, it may be an invasion of privacy to view that e-mail leading to lower numbers of employees. Also, some content have been named inappropriatly meaning purposefull content will be filtered out.
Advantages this system has for employees is the fact that all inappriate websites are filtered out so if they are searching for specific items, they will get the proper information only rather than other inapropriate information that is on the internet.
The problems this system has for an employee who is using this system for buisness purposes is the fact that some propriate information may be blocked because the file may be inapropriatly named.
This system should be in place, however, it should be limited as viewing other peoples e-mails is an infringement of privacy. So, the system should be limited to just key words from the internet web pages to stop employees viewing porography and other inapropriate websites.

Discussion - Society and the Individual

Intro: George Orwell wrote about how technology could be used to control us in his famous book of a totalitarian future, 1984, published in 1948.
Review some of the comments on the US's response to Homeland security.
To what extent should we allow society to 'look after' us and as a result, deprive us of individual freedom?

Answer: In a sense, we should allow society to "look after" us in the sense of using ambulance services and fire services is a way of society looking after us. However, when it becomes too much, such as, tracking and monitoring people, it becomes more spying rather than looking after us which then deprives us of individual freedom.

Review of US Response to Homeland security To be Done