Chipped! New passports mark first step to ID Cards

Lib Dem and anti-ID card campaigner Darren Briddock is one of the first in the country to receive a new "Chipped" passport. The new passport contains limited "biometric" data on a machine readable chip, and have only been issued in the UK for the past few weeks.

As the system develops, the chips on passport will hold more information about the holder. Getting a passport will requite a personal visit to one of the new passport centres being set up across the country, and the passports will hold fingerprint and biometric data about the holder.

Darren said:

"The use that could be put to the chipped data on these passports is worrying. Simply not knowing exactly what data is on the chip is concerning - it could record anything, and the person carrying it would never know.

"These chipped passports are the first stage in the Governments drive to force in ID Cards which will be hugely expensive, involving one of the biggest Government computer projects ever - and they always cost a fortune! ID Cards will also be useless in the fight against terrorism: British citizens will have their card by right, visitors won't need them and the determined will forge them."