Editing Identity document (section)

==Adoption==
[[Law enforcement]] officials claim that identity cards make surveillance and the search for criminals easier and therefore support the universal adoption of identity cards. In countries that do not have a national identity card, there is concern about the projected costs and potential abuse of high-tech smartcards.

In many countries – especially English-speaking countries such as [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[New Zealand]], the [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]] – there are no government-issued compulsory identity cards for all citizens. Ireland's Public Services Card is not considered a national identity card by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP),<ref name="thejournal.ie">{{cite web | url=http://www.thejournal.ie/public-services-card-oireachtas-committee-2-3865142-Feb2018/ | title='If everything's fine, why's it being investigated?' – Social Protection peppered with tough questions over PSC| date=February 22, 2018}}</ref> but many say it is in fact becoming that, and without public debate or even a legislative foundation.<ref>[https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/wary-of-the-public-services-card-you-have-good-reason-to-be-1.3351106 Wary of the Public Services Card? You have good reason to be]</ref>

There is debate in these countries about whether such cards and their centralised databases constitute an infringement of [[privacy]] and [[civil liberties]]. Most criticism is directed towards the possibility of abuse of centralised databases storing sensitive data. A 2006 survey of UK [[Open University]] students concluded that the planned compulsory identity card under the Identity Cards Act 2006 coupled with a [[central government]] [[database]] generated the most negative response among several options. None of the countries listed above mandate identity documents, but they have ''de facto'' equivalents since these countries still require proof of identity in many situations. For example, all vehicle drivers must have a driving licence, and young people may need to use specially issued "proof of age cards" when purchasing alcohol.

===Arguments for===
Arguments for identity documents as such:
* In order to avoid mismatching people and to fight [[fraud]], there should be a secure way to prove a person's identity. 
* Every human being already carries their own personal identification in the form of [[DNA]], which is extremely hard to falsify or to discard (in terms of modification). Even for non-state commercial and private interactions, this may shortly become the preferred [[identifier]], rendering a state-issued identity card a lesser evil than the potentially extensive privacy risks associated with everyday use of a person's [[DNA profiling|genetic profile]] for identification purposes.<ref name="Alice5">{{cite journal |url=http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dltr/articles/2003dltr0002.html |title=The case for national identification cards |access-date=January 11, 2008 |first=Ben |last=Quarmby |date=January 31, 2003 |journal=2003 Duke L. & Tech. Rev. 0002 |pages=E1 |publisher=Duke University |pmid=15709289 |quote=If there is no reasonable expectation of privacy with regards to one's DNA information, the obtention of that information will not constitute a search. The DNA card scheme at issue here would not therefore come under 4th Amendment scrutiny |archive-date=2012-02-12  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212202542/http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dltr/articles/2003dltr0002.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Alice6">{{cite web
|url=http://www.dnatesting.com/other/dnaIdBanking.php |title=DNA ID Profiling and Banking |access-date=January 11, 2008 |date=January 3, 2008 |work=Identigene website |quote=The powerful DNA profiling technology is encouraged to be used by parent(s) when adopting newborn children. Insurance companies use DNA profiling as a precautionary tool to protect against [[life insurance fraud]]. Lawyers are bundling these services with packages, such as the [[Will (law)|Last Will and Testament]], to assist in protecting the assets of large estates.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071027154934/http://www.dnatesting.com/other/dnaIdBanking.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = October 27, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Alice7">{{cite web|url=http://www.caslon.com.au/surveillanceprofile2.htm#dna |title=Surveillance & Identification: Identity |access-date=January 11, 2008 |date=December 13, 2006 |work=Caslon Analytics research, analysis and strategies consultancy |quote=As a German policeman once said, you are who your papers say you are. Take away those papers and you have no identity. Identification schemes – whether based on an individual's innate characteristics (e.g. DNA) or external attributes such as password or code number – facilitate participation by individuals with the requisite [[credential]]s in the "economic, social and political dimensions of society" |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126082558/http://caslon.com.au/surveillanceprofile2.htm |archive-date=January 26, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Alice8">{{cite web
|url=http://lcs-mo.com/PersonalID.htm |title=BEEsafe Personal ID program |access-date=January 11, 2008 |publisher=Laboratory Collection Services |quote=The area of the DNA molecule used for identification testing is known as a non-coding region. This region gives absolutely no genetic information about your race, medical history, or pre-disposition to a disease. DNA is the ultimate tool for personal identification. Every individual has a unique set of DNA markers, which are inherited from their parent(s). Therefore, your loved one can be easily identified by their specific DNA profile. DNA Profiling is highly recommended by Law Enforcement Agencies nationwide as an identification method for all of your family. Acquiring a DNA Profile for your loved one is easy, painless, affordable, and need only be performed once, since his or her profile will not change over time.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071214035048/http://www.lcs-mo.com/PersonalID.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = December 14, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Alice9">{{cite book |last=Garfinkel |first=Simson |title=Database Nation: The Death of Privacy in the 21st Century |orig-year=2000 |date=January 2001 |type=Paperback |publisher=O'Reilly & Associates |isbn=978-0-596-00105-6 |chapter=3 Absolute Identification |chapter-url=http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/dbnationtp/chapter/ch03.html |quote=When the technology was first introduced, scientists, lawyers, and civil libertarians argued over whether the underlying science was sound, and if the technology actually worked. Today, DNA identification is widely accepted as absolutely accurate—and we are struggling with the social implications of this newfound precision. |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/databasenationde00garf }}</ref> Other [[Biometrics|biometric]] methods are also already in use for tasks such as activating phones, including [[fingerprint]] reading, and [[Facial recognition system|facial recognition]].

Arguments for national identity documents:
*If using only private alternatives, such as ID cards issued by banks, the inherent lack of consistency regarding issuance policies can lead to downstream problems. For example, in Sweden private companies such as banks (citing security reasons) refused to issue ID cards to individuals without a Swedish card or Swedish passport. This forced the government to start issuing national cards. It is also harder to control information usage by private companies, such as when credit card issuers or social media companies map purchase behaviour in order to assist ad targeting.

===Arguments against===
{{Further|freedom of movement|Propiska in the Soviet Union{{!}}Propiska}}
Arguments against identity documents as such:
* The development and administrative costs of an identity card system can be high. Figures from £30 to £90 or even higher were suggested for the abandoned [[United Kingdom|UK]] ID card. In countries such as [[Chile]] the identity card is paid for by each person up to £6; in other countries, such as [[France]] or [[Venezuela]], the ID card is free.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1494944,00.html | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=ID cards to cost £300 per person | first=Jamie | last=Doward | date=May 29, 2005 | access-date=May 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Combien coûte une Carte Nationale d'Identité ? |url=https://passeport.ants.gouv.fr/Questions-frequentes/Carte-Nationale-d-Identite/Combien-coute-une-Carte-Nationale-d-Identite |website=Vos Démarches |publisher=French Government |access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> This, however, does not disclose the true cost of issuing ID cards as some additional portion may be borne by taxpayers in general.

Arguments against national identity documents:
* Rather than relying on government-issued ID cards, [[Federal law|U.S. federal policy]] has encouraged a variety of identification systems that already exist, such as driver's or firearms licences or private cards.
Arguments against overuse or abuse of identity documents:
* Cards reliant on a centralized database can be used to track someone's physical movements and private life, thus infringing on personal freedom and [[privacy]]. The proposed British ID card proposes a series of linked databases managed by [[Marketing Intelligence|private sector]] firms. The management of disparate linked systems across a range of institutions and any number of personnel is alleged to be a security disaster in the making.<ref>
{{cite magazine |last =Zaba |first =Christina |date =May 30, 2005 |title =When the eyes don't have it |magazine =New Statesman |url =http://www.newstatesman.com/Ideas/200505300020 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080516174435/http://www.newstatesman.com/Ideas/200505300020 |archive-date=May 16, 2008 }}</ref>
*If race is displayed on mandatory ID documents, this information can lead to [[racial profiling]].