Manufacturers are unwilling to get involved in the
£5.8bn ID cards programme because of the scheme’s unpopularity, a
secret Home Office report has warned.
The Home Office sought confidential views from potential ID card
system providers, including BT, IBM, Motorola, Royal Mail and
Siemens. The 32-page “restricted” report, Market Soundings, sets
out the “main risks” cited by 15 firms as reasons why they might
not bid for development work on setting up the ID cards scheme and
national identity database.
“Recent indications show that the British public’s appetite for
the ID card is declining. Association with the resulting programme
may compromise a company’s public image,” the report leaked to the
Sunday Times says.
The report also warns that the ID cards scheme is potentially
vulnerable to criminal activity. It quotes one manufacturer that
says, “In New Zealand the lifetime of the card and chip was reduced
from 10 to five years, since holding information for 10 years on a
card could be dangerous as criminal activities may be able to
defeat chip security within these timescales.”
The leaked report follows the news that the ID cards scheme is
on hold at least until the end of the year, while home secretary
John Reid reviews Home Office priorities.
The release of e-mails between government officials has also
revealed fears that the programme is in serious trouble and
unlikely to meet its 2008 deadline.
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