The Advent of ID Cards May Increase Identity Theft
A British criminologist has warned that the advent of ID cards may mean the problem of identity theft actually increases rather than it being solved.
Dr Emily Finch, from the University of East Anglia said that a growing dependence on technology was leading to less self vigilance, which is still the best protection against identity theft and fraud.
There is a worrying assumption that advances in technology will provide the solution to identity theft whereas it is possible that they may actually aggravate the problem.
During her research, Finch interviewed thieves and fraudsters and asked about the impact new technology would have on their crimes. Unsurprisingly, new security measures just mean that criminals adopt new methods in their crimes.
Considering the UK government’s proposed ID card scheme, Finch said that the cards could potentially increase fraudulent activity.
What fraudsters know about is human nature and they adapt to things like the Internet which provides an absolutely fantastic base to access personal information.
Although ministers insist that national identity cards would help prevent terrorism, crime and illegal immigration, critics say that the scheme won’t manage identity fraud, crime or any of the other problems the government claims they will.
