ID Theft Is The Natural Consequence Of The Information Age

The oddest thing about the missing child benefit tax discs, and the more recent incident of the information lost about learner drivers, is that people are in some way surprised.

We live in a society that for some years now has been obsessed with creating, developing, holding and storing data on people. Whatever laws exist, in practice that information is completely out of the control of the individual once it is given. The use of computer databases means it can be stored, copied and distributed as often as the person in control of that data chooses.

Worse still it is now virtually impossible to go about your daily business without providing information. On Sunday I went to the Turkish Baths at York Hall, Bethnal Green. For generations, anyone wanting a sauna simply had to turn up, pay their money and go in. Not now. For a place that is supposed to 'de-stress' you, I ended up more stressed by the entrance procedures than I had been all week!

Firstly we were advised that we should have booked in advance, as the spa was nowadays very busy (This proved to be nonsense when we did eventually get inside, it was no more than half full) Secondly we could not simply pay cash and enter - a form needed to be completed, asking a series of questions concerning name, date of birth, address, health and ethnic background. I only wanted a sauna!
That information will no doubt be entered onto a database, viewable by anyone who can access the spa's computers. Whether it is legal or not, there is absolutely nothing to stop any such person using that data in any way they please.

And we wonder why identity theft is so prevalent?

Further ID theft scandals will emerge. Look at the huge volume of information held by the Oyster card system in London, or the mobile phone companies. Each scandal will seek people to blame, and each scandal will be followed by another. The only way to avoid ID theft is to create a society which is not obsessed with creating and storing information on people - be it as consumers, service users, travellers or potential criminals. And to get a society like that, we will need some very radical change indeed................