All the waste and incompetence of the ID card scheme becomes plain when you hear people’s stories about their contact with the new UK Borders Agency. This one comes from an acquaintance, who would prefer to remain anonymous, chiefly because he fears retribution if his name is known…
“In early January, my wife and I visited a UK Border Agency office and paid $857 for their ‘premium’ service to take her biometric data and process her foreign national ID card.
“We waited for hours as they had lots of computer problems, until finally a staff member admitted to us that the ‘ID system was down’ and had been the previous day also. We were eventually told that the details had been taken and we should just wait for her ID card to arrive by post.
“When the card finally arrived we soon discovered that they had got her nationality wrong. She is a US citizen and on the back of her ID card it said ‘American Samoa’! We reported the problem and were told to post the ID card back to them in a Freepost envelope.
“Weeks later the UK Border Agency sent my wife a letter saying that she needed to send her passport, as they could not correct their mistake without her passport”.
My correspondent makes the following points. The agency had already recorded the passport details and scanned it. His wife has paid for a ‘premium’ service ($857) appointment at UK Border Agency where she was fingerprinted, photographed and filled in forms so that she would not have to send her passport by post. When she phoned UKBA twice to report that “American Samoan” was a mistake, she spoke to two people, who told her to send the incorrect ID card only and did not mention sending a passport. She explained that she would need the ID card back soon in case she had to travel abroad.
This is not just your video club membership, or your supermarket loyalty card … this is your citizenship and identity, allowing you access to services and allowing you to leave and enter the country.
I reproduce this story at length because it captures the anger and helplessness experienced when you become ensnared in a system that is flawed, contemptuous of individual needs and entirely pointless.
RTFA. The tale doesn’t improve.
Just like the Portuguese “one document”.
In this so called “citizen card” we have Identity, Social security, Fiscal number, Health card and Voters Card. All with an encrypted chip.
Curiously Drivers License is similar but separate card.
Big Brother IS watching you…
Big Brother may be watching but he has Down’s Syndrome. Welcome to the new world order.
I find the incompetence comforting. If the government was able to set up an efficient, fast process that would make me worry. If they can’t get an ID card right, then there is hope they can’t get other things right that would violate my privacy.
Efficient government is scary government.
#4–US==cheering on incompetency certainly is the US way. Bush foreign policy. Reganomics. Yes, the US way.
A more informative article here: $6.6B British ID Program Has No Card Readers
http://dailytech.com/66B+British+ID+Program+Has+No+Card+Readers/article14175.htm
# 4 US said, in part:
“I find the incompetence comforting.”
Sure, that sounds nice, until some law enforcement officer having a bad day insists “May I see your papers please?” and won’t accept any excuse. This poor lady could very well find herself deported to American Samoa after being held incommunicado God-knows-where for several weeks, then being denied entrance to American Samoa, the U.S. or the U.K. because she has no I.D. She may have to live in the Pacific Ocean or on some cruise liner, never again setting foot on land.
Okay, I admit that last part is somewhat unlikely, but it’s far from impossible!
Patso: Is American Samoa nicer than the UK? That might not be a bad deal, if you ask me.
Man oh man does this sound familiar!! My wife emegrated from Russia. We constantly experienced things like this, one hand not knowing what the right hand is doing or even caring.
We had such a bad experience with one branch of Homeland Security, that when we got to another branch (that was INS) we expected nothing but trouble from them, and they actually met all the expectations they set for us (which, while not fantastic were reasonable. Like getting the green card in 6-12 months)
The Social Security office was just as bad. We got a different story each time we spoke in person to someone…
I tell you if you’re a native born citizen (like me) you have no idea until your party to this how bad the system runs day to day.
South America? That’s like Mississippi Right? I remember Living in Sante Fe… New Mexico…. Try explaining that one!!!
No I’m not a Mexican! I just live in New Mexico!
this is wonderful.
and reminds me of HOW the state of oregon does NEtworking.
ALL state info in held in 1 location, and ALL resources, police/Social services/Mayors office/EVERYTHING runs threw that location. There are NO REMOTE access points to HOLD and store data..When that 1 location goes down, or is shutdown for updates, ITS ALL DOWN..
They CANT INTAKE/input data and STORE it for later connection and correlation..NOTHING can be done.