The report makes clear the committee has not sought to “revisit the debate on the merits of identity cards”. But it is concerned “about the potential for ‘function creep’ in terms of the surveillance potential of the National Identity Scheme”.
“Any ambiguity about the objectives of the Scheme puts in jeopardy the public’s trust in the Scheme itself and in the Government’s ability to run it,” the report says.
“Whilst we accept the Government’s assurance that the Scheme will not be used as a surveillance tool, we seek the further assurance that any initiative to broaden the scope of the Scheme will only be proposed after consulting the Information Commissioner and on the basis that proposals will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny in draft form.”
Crime fighting
It recommends that the Home Office produce a report on the intended functions of the National Identity Scheme in relation to the fight against crime – “containing an explicit statement that the administrative information collected and stored in connection with the National Identity Register will not be used as a matter of routine to monitor the activities of individuals”.
Regarding “the effect of recent data loss incidents on public confidence in the Government”, the report recommends the Home Office “submit more detailed plans for securing the NIR databases and a broad outline of contingency plans to be implemented in the event of a loss or theft of biometric information from databases managed by the Identity and Passport Service, for comment by the Information Commissioner”.
It says that recent high-profile losses of data have been failures of policy rather than technology, in that “those who had access to the information in question did not observe proper procedures for the handling and sharing of data. The Minister’s assurances that the Government has learned lessons, though welcome, are not sufficient to reassure us or, we suspect, the public.
“Access to NIR databases should be strictly limited and governed by clear protocols, which should be developed in consultation with the Information Commissioner. We recommend that the Home Office publish a detailed account of its plans for NIR access procedures”.
Data minimisation
The report says the committee accepts that “the Government’s intention is to create an ‘audit trail’ to regulate access to NIR databases, but we are concerned about large stores of information about individuals’ transactions and activities, particularly if registration is to become compulsory”.
“We recommend that the Home Office publish its plans for collecting and retaining administrative information as part of the NIR and that it commit to a principle of data minimisation for the National Identity Scheme,” the report says.
“We seek assurance from the Home Office that it has taken full account of the potential of advanced privacy-enhancing technologies to reduce the amount of information it is necessary to collect in order to authenticate transactions and prevent fraud and unauthorised access.”
Privacy concerns
The report also makes the point that Home Office doesn’t plan to publish any specific privacy impact assessment of the National Identity Scheme.
“We recommend that on proposing any change in policy on the collection, storage, sharing or use of National Identity Register data, the Home Office make a report to Parliament on the implications of the change for an individual’s privacy,” it says.
“The report should address the following questions: how much extra information will be collected? For how long will it be stored? How many more people will have access to it? For what new purpose will it be used?”
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