October 15, 2007

Critics Decry UK Government's Move to Merge ID Databases

Privacy advocates have slammed government moves to merge the U.K.'s General Register Office, which oversees the registration of births and deaths, into the nation's Identity and Passport Service. The government plans to give IPS staff online access to births and deaths information which could be cross checked with ID card or passport applications. Data sharing between the two bodies was given a legal basis in July by an order made under section 38 of the Identity Cards Act. But Phil Booth, national coordinator of the No2ID campaign monitoring the government's ID card and data sharing plans, described the merger as "chilling."

UK government draws criticism over ID data-merge plan, Computerworld UK, October 12, 2007.