More bad news for Gordon...

Nicholas

And they want a National Identity register and a DNA database? I wouldn't trust them to look after my empty milk bottles.

The DPA precedent that all personal data should only be held with the owner's express consent needs to be applied to the government too.

Compulsion followed by incompetence is the worst but latest "message" to be sent out by Brown and his rump government. Want to send me messages, Gordon? Put 'em in one of my empty milk bottles and chuck 'em in the Thames.

To paraphrase Mr Heston. You want my personal data? You will have to prise it from my cold, grey hand.

Lawrence

Obviously things will be different when it comes to a national ID card database.

James Burdett

I believe Dizzy had this yesterday.

Oscar Miller

o/t but worth highlighting. With reference to the long thread about John Humphrys' interviews with Gordon and Dave last week, he was on R4s Feedback defending himself after what must have been a storm of complaints. It's worth listening to (presume it's available on Listen Again) for the sheer arrogance and sophistry of Humphrys. According to Humphrys Cameron was combative and therefore invited interruptions. Cameron has no policies and therefore it turned into a 'theatrical' kind of interview. Brown on the other hand has been in power for a long time and has weighty things to say. He also had a contrite attitude. You have to hand it to Humphrys - he turned this into a platform for another huge dose of party political bias topped by the general message - the listener is always wrong - Humphrys is always right.

Kevyn Bodman

'Instructions issued to civil servants made it clear that passwords should always be sent separately from sensitive information.'
Well, that's a relief.
Why didn't I think of that?

Kevyn Bodman

But this sort of foul-up could have happened under any sort of government,couldn't it?
Cock-ups can never be eliminated,
SNAFUs are normal situations.That cliched acronym is only a cliche because it's true.
Leaving aside the principled arguments against ID cards the fact that cock-ups can't be eliminated shouldn't be forgotten.

Ted Tedford

Kevyn: The inevitability of cock-ups *is* one of the principled arguments against ID cards. This government has solicited and centralised more personal data than is either healthy or required, which is why so many errors like these are occurring.

The current administration treats its citizens they way a stalker treats their 'love' object: it needs to control us because it knows we won't give it our loyalty voluntarily.

THX1138

We have to fight these databases donate to http://www.no2id.net/.

This battle transcends party politics and is the real frontline in the battle for liberty in the UK.

We can all start by opting out of the NHS database connecting for health download the form from no2id & sent it to your GP today and fight back against the real intrusion of the state in our lives

Tanuki

Truth is, you can't really stop these sorts of cock-ups ever happening.

What you can do is *reduce the amount of data being held/moved-about to the absolute minimum* thereby reducing both the likelihood of such cockups and the risk to the individual when a cockup inevitably happens.

Oh yes, and also ensuring that when a cockup happens, the offenders are promptly and publicly fired 'pour encourager les autres'.

Max Kaye

It is a sign of the political zeitgeist that any cock-up anywhere is - somehow - going to be blamed on Brown. An astroid colliding with earth would be seen as his fault too....

Wonderful! No one deserves it more.