ID-card contracts allow suppliers to be searched
Kable
Published: 10 Dec 2008 08:14 GMT
The government will be able search the premises of companies working on the National Identity Scheme under the terms of their contracts.
A leaked Home Office document states that, if suppliers do not comply with the strict security requirements of the terms of National Identity Scheme (NIS) contracts, then, at its "sole discretion", the department will be able to enter their premises and access records, computers and other property which includes NIS information.
A spokesperson for the Home Office told GC News: "Robust data protection is central to the National Identity Scheme and it is only right and proper that we reserve the right to check that any companies involved in delivering the scheme are properly protecting individuals' information."
The five companies in the running for the national ID-card scheme contracts are IBM, CSC, EDS, Fujitsu and Thales.
Phil Booth, the national co-ordinator of NO2ID, a group campaigning against the government's planned ID card and the National Identity Register, said: "This is something quite extraordinary. We are talking about something that is at the sole discretion of the Home Office, and entering people's houses. Every single person working on this project should be aware of this."
However, the Home Office denied that the agreement would enable it to access the private premises of staff working for NIS contractors. The spokesperson said this type of agreement was nothing new, but was standard practice in commercial agreements across both the public and private sectors.
"This agreement does not grant the Identity and Passport Service or the home secretary new legal powers, and is appropriate in the protection of sensitive information," he said.
Booth said that the clause would affect the services that companies can provide to other clients because, in searching for NIS data, the police or other authorities would have access to a range of other information.
"Putting in heavy-handed clauses does not deal with the systemic and cultural problems of data-protection government at the moment," said Booth. "They seem to treat our data as if it is their own, to do with as they see fit."
Did you find this article useful?
Digg
Slashdot
Del.ici.ous
Stumble
Reddit
