Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?

Abstract

Should UK government plans such as the Identity Card scheme, the National DNA Database and expanded data-mining practices be under closer scrutiny following the Revenues and Customs fiasco in which the personal details of millions of people were misplaced? The ‘nothing to hide, nothing to fear’ argument as it is applied to privacy rights amid the significant increase in recent years of the amount of personal details the government keeps on centralised databases is explored.

Keywords:

• ID card
• privacy
• data protection

Notes

1. See http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhaff/130/4060805.htm (last accessed March 2008).

2. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/6209970.stm (last accessed March 2008).

3. A recordable offence is generally one which is punishable by imprisonment. However, a number of other non-imprisonable offences such as vagrancy are also recordable.

4. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6979138.stm (last accessed March 2008).

5. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4720328.stm (last accessed March 2008).

6. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=457046&in_page_id=1770

7. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/PACE-cover/cons-2007-pace-review?view=Binary (last accessed March 2008).

8. Dropping litter is an offence under S.87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

9. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2006-new-powers-org-crime/cons-new-powers-paper?view=Binary at p. 22 (last accessed March 2008).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gareth Crossman

Email: [email protected]