England Real ID is being Rolled out now

Is america next?

To do something about it contact Mark Lerner at Stoprealid@aol.com or stoprealidcoalition.blogspot.com.

Here's the England Article:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3494185.ece

Home Secretary reveals timetable for identity cards

A demonstration biometric ID card on display at the Passport Office in London

Jenny Booth, RIchard Ford and agencies
Foreign nationals will be required to obtain national identity cards by providing their biometric details from this year, the Home Secretary has confirmed.

From next year the scheme will extend to British people working in high-risk areas such as airports, said Jacqui Smith, who is today unveiling the latest timetable for the identity card.

From 2010, students and young people will be encouraged to provide their details voluntarily, she told BBC Breakfast, and from 2011 onwards, anyone applying for a passport will be added to the national identity register.

“Increasingly, we need to be able to prove our identity in a whole range of ways: when we’re travelling, when we’re opening a bank account or accessing government services," said Ms Smith.

The controversial ID scheme will eventually see everyone’s personal details stored on a plastic card with a microchip and will cost £5.6 billion over 10 years, according to Government estimates.

Whitehall officials fear that rolling out cards when people renew their ten year passports will be slow, as many people will not be automatically provided with an identity card until 2021 when their travel document expires. So people will be able to apply for a stand alone identity card without seeking a passport, under a plan which the Government hopes will lead to a speedier take up of the cards. The card will be valid for travel within the EU.

Whitehall officials believe that there is a large market for a stand alone identity card - which would be cheaper than paying for a card and passport, but would have the similar effect of getting people’s biometrics onto the national identity register.

Ministers believe this will speed up the issuing of the identity document to British citizens as people will apply before their passport expires.

Meanwhile, foreign nationals living in Britain who boycott the introduction of the biometric identity card later this year could face losing their right to stay under the Government’s plans.

A Home Office consultation paper published last month revealed that those who refuse to make or turn up to an appointment to scan their fingerprints and facial image will face a £250 fine, rising to £1,000 for persistent refusal. Those who fail to tell police if they lose their ID card will face a fine of £125.

Ms Smith will publish further details on the next steps of the ID card roll-out at leading think-tank Demos in central London later today.