"Big Brother" Gaining Ground in Great Britain

Maybe George Orwell was on to something...

It seems that "Big Brother" is gaining ground in Great Britain. Starting in 2009, in order to apply for a passport, Britons will be required to register their fingerprints, facial scans and a host of personal information such as second homes, drivers licenses and insurance policy numbers. If they do this, they will receive a national ID card and then their passport. However, the program is not mandatory. The British government has said that the program is voluntary and that people will be allowed to opt out. However, those that do will be denied receiving a British passport.

Since the program has been proposed one in eight Britons has said that they would refuse to register their personal information with the government. This could mean that up to five million people would be refused the right to travel outside of Great Britain.

Phil Booth, a member of the NO2ID group, said: "The idea that ID cards scheme is voluntary, and people can opt-out, is a joke. There are all sorts of reasons why people need to travel, not just for holidays. There is work, visiting relatives. What are these people supposed to do? It stretches the definition of voluntary beyond breaking point. They will go to any length to get personal information for this huge database. Who knows what will happen to it then?"

The notion that this is a voluntary program comes in since Britons need not receive one of the official ID cards, however in order to receive a passport they will still need to surrender their personal information and pay the full £93 price for an ID card and a passport. So, in spite of the government's insistence that the program is mandatory, the only way in which Britons will be able to avoid the program entirely is if they never renew or apply for a passport again; this means that those British citizens who refuse to participate for whatever reasons will effectively be compelled to stay in Great Britain for the rest of their lives, unable to leave the island nation for whatever reason.