Fifth Estate

How will a national identification system (NIS) help in preventing or minimizing crime or terrorist attacks? The closest thing to answers, that I could find, is a statement from Ms. Gloria Arroyo that "[the NIS would] deprive terrorists of mobility and anonymity" and an opinion by a pundit that "those found without I.D.s, in that case, will be regarded as beyond the pale of the law and subjected to further investigation".

These statements are, apparently, based on the assumption that the bad guys can't possibly acquire IDs. This assumption is completely wrong. It is a fact that all of the terrorists, involved in the 11 Sep. 2001 attack on the USA, possessed ID cards which passed muster by American authorities. It is also a fact that Israel, which employs a sophisticated ID system, almost regularly suffer from terrorist attacks. A recent study by Privacy International states:

Of the 25 countries that have been most adversely affected by terrorism since 1986, eighty per cent have national identity cards, one third of which incorporate biometrics. This research was unable to uncover any instance where the presence of an identity card system in those countries was seen as a significant deterrent to terrorist activity.

Most proponents of a NIS are actually aware of the fact that it won't deter criminal or terrorist activity so they skirt the issue by praising the advantages and benefits that one would get if the NIS were implemented. They extol that, compared to the current situation, it would be very much easier to deal with government agencies since all information about you are readily available.

Well, if it's easy for any government or private institution to access your information, it's only logical that just about anyone, with enough motivation, can easily access to it as well. Let's say someone was able to get a hold of a duplicate of your ID by bribing a lowly paid worker in the place where the IDs are being made. That someone would then be able to, say, get a loan from the GSIS using your ID or transfer the ownership of your home to another name. Identity theft is quite common hereabouts, but we rarely hear or read about it since almost none of those commit this crime ever get caught. With all our eggs in one basket, as it were, I could just imagine how much easier life would be for identity thieves.

Some supporters of the NIS, like Mr. Angelo Reyes, are informed enough to know that their position is indefensible so they don't forward any argument at all but instead simply mouth words like "If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear".

Indeed, most of us have nothing to hide and are not afraid of giving out personal information. In fact, we do this on a regular basis such as when requesting for a savings account or applying for credit cards from banks or getting a subscription from cellular service providers. However, some of us are gravely afraid if giving same information to government agencies. Private companies normally employ only professionals and don't tolerate incompetence and dishonesty. When we give information to these companies, we have a certain measure a security that the information will not be misused. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our government agencies. When a country receives a perceived corruption index of 2.6 out of 10, it is extremely difficult to trust its agencies. If something involves the current Philippine government, we may have nothing to hide, but we most assuredly have something to fear.

Like Mr. Reyes, the presidential press secretary, Mr. Ignacio Bunye, does not present any argument but instead simply insult the intelligence of those who oppose the NIS. "Their fears are more imagined than real. If we look at the experience of countries implementing a national ID system, we have yet to hear of cases, decided or otherwise, involving violation of human rights," Mr. Bunye says.

Well, we also don't hear of cases involving the manufacturers of balisongs. What we do hear about are cases of robbery, murder, rape, etc. perpetrated with the use of a balisong. We also hear about cases of fraud (as in credit card fraud), misrepresentation (as in someone pretending to be somebody else, like a government official) and theft. These crimes would be trivial to commit if the NIS were implemented in the Philippines.

My main objection to the NIS is the issue of cost. One estimate is PHP1.6B, based on PHP35 per ID card assuming an adult population of 45.3 million. It would definitely cost more since the estimate doesn't seem to consider the support systems (computer hardware and software, card readers, etc.) and manpower (a new government agency would probably be necessary) needed for its implementation. There's also the continuing cost of maintaining the personnel and equipment. Perhaps that amount of money would be more wisely spent on providing better equipment and training to, and improving the intelligence capabilities of, the police and military. It seems good intelligence led to the arrest of some of the Valentine's day bombers. Better training, equipment and intelligence might've prevented the bombing in the first place.

More importantly is the cost of privacy or loss thereof. How much do we value our privacy? If I were to renew my driver's license right now, I would be required to prove that I am not an illegal drug user by giving a government recognized agency certain body fluids. If you want to go to a shopping mall or ride the LRT or MRT, you would be required to prove that you are not a gun-toting, bomb-carrying terrorist by submitting to bag and body searches. We have already lost some of our constitutionally enshrined right to privacy, can we afford to loose more?

# posted by KidPogi : 3:04 AM