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Revision as of 15:32, 12 November 2003 by The Anome (talk | contribs) (a start)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)An identity card is a piece of documentation designed to prove the identity of the person carrying it. Unlike other forms of documentation, which only have a single purpose such as authorizing bank transactions, or proving membership of a library, an identity card simply asserts the bearer's identity.
Where the identity card is issued by the State, it asserts a unique single civil identity for a person, thus defining that person's identity purely in relation to the State. State-issued identity cards are a source of great controversy. Some people regard them as a gross infringement of privacy and civil liberties, whilst others regard them as uncontroversial.
Opponents of identity cards point out that totalitarian governments issue identity cards to their populations, and that they have been used oppressively by many governments.
Proponents of identity cards regard these criticisms as paranoid, and regard identity cards to be a useful administrative tool that will increase government efficiency and cut down on crime. They use an argument which is often deployed against privacy advocates: "if you are against it, then you must have something to hide".
Some opponents have characterised vocal proponents of identity cards as either
- social conservatives who wish to control the population tightly, or
- working for IT companies who are lobbying for compulsory cards in order to share in the government pork when the card scheme is implemented