What worries me is what they will actually do with the data. They already sell the electoral roll to anyone willing to give them money (
http://www.b4usearch.com/ ). They already sell DVLA data to anyone who wants it at a fiver a time.
It also beggars belief that the government are naiive enough to believe that they can link all of the systems together in a way that data on all of us can be shared. Every single local council has a housing database of people on benefits and every single council database is in a different format. I know this because I have worked in IT support for several local council authorities.
Let alone linking the DVLA database, the NHS database etc etc. The list goes on. And lets not forget the major fiascos in every single large IT project that the government has undertaken? Department of Work and Pensions/CSA anyone?
This would be a major target for hackers, with so many backdoors and parties allowed access, how long would it take for someone to break into it?
This will do nothing to prevent terrorism, as anyone visiting the UK for less than 3 months does not need to get an ID card.
Nothing good will come of this. The UK government makes me want to puke. They should put the money towards the NHS or schools, or cancer research. Anything other than ID cards tbh.