Identity document From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from ID card) "National identity card" redirects here. For cards referred to in the English language as "national identity card", see: National identity card (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2008) An identity document (also called a piece of identification or ID) is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's Personalidentity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card (IC). In some countries the possession of a government-produced identity card is compulsory while in others it may be voluntary. In countries which do not have formal identity documents, informal ones may in some circumstances be required. In the absence of a formal identity document, some countries accept driving licences as the most effective method of proof of identity. Most countries accept passports as a form of identification. Contents [hide] 1 Information included in ID documents 2 Adoption of identity cards o 2.1 Arguments for o 2.2 Arguments against 3 National policies o 3.1 European Union . 3.1.1 Belgium . 3.1.2 Bulgaria . 3.1.3 Cyprus . 3.1.4 Czech Republic . 3.1.5 Denmark . 3.1.6 Estonia . 3.1.7 Finland . 3.1.8 France . 3.1.9 Germany . 3.1.10 Greece . 3.1.11 Hungary . 3.1.12 Italy . 3.1.13 Poland . 3.1.14 Portugal . 3.1.15 Romania . 3.1.16 Slovakia . 3.1.17 Spain . 3.1.18 Sweden . 3.1.19 United Kingdom o 3.2 Albania o 3.3 Argentina o 3.4 Australia o 3.5 Bangladesh o 3.6 Bosnia and Herzegovina o 3.7 Brazil o 3.8 People's Republic of China . 3.8.1 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region . 3.8.2 Macao Special Administrative Region o 3.9 Colombia o 3.10 Costa Rica o 3.11 Chile o 3.12 Croatia o 3.13 Dominican Republic o 3.14 El Salvador o 3.15 Guatemala o 3.16 India o 3.17 Indonesia o 3.18 Iran o 3.19 Iraq o 3.20 Israel o 3.21 Japan o 3.22 Macedonia o 3.23 Malaysia o 3.24 Mauritius o 3.25 Mexico o 3.26 Montenegro o 3.27 Pakistan o 3.28 Peru o 3.29 Philippines o 3.30 Serbia o 3.31 Singapore o 3.32 South Africa o 3.33 Sri Lanka o 3.34 Republic of China ("Taiwan") o 3.35 United Arab Emirates o 3.36 United States o 3.37 Uruguay 4 See also 5 References 6 External links [edit]Information included in ID documents Information present on the document — or in a supporting database — might include the bearer's full name, a portrait photo, age, birth date, address, an identification number, profession or rank, religion, ethnic or racial classification, restrictions, and citizenship status. New technologiescould allow identity cards to contain biometric information, such as photographs, face, hand or iris measurements, or fingerprints. Electronic identity cards or e-IDs are already available in some territories such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Estonia, Finland, Belgium, Portugal and Spain.Morocco is also planning to launch a new identity card of biometric type by January 2007[citation needed]. [edit]Adoption of identity cards The universal adoption of identity cards is supported by law enforcement officials who claim that it will make surveillance and identification of criminals easier. However, concern is also expressed about the extensive cost and potential abuse of hi-tech smartcards. In the United Kingdom and the United States especially, government-issued compulsory identity cards or, more precisely, their centralised database are a source of debate as they are regarded as an infringement of privacy and civil liberties. Most criticism is directed towards the enhanced possibilities of extensive abuse of centralised and comprehensive databases storing sensitive data. A 2006 survey of UK Open University students concluded that the planned compulsory identity card coupled with a central government database generated the most negative attitudinal response among several alternative configurations.[1] [edit]Arguments for This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (July 2009) . Identity verification in banks or at national borders with a standard national identification card would be simpler than with a physically bulkypassport, especially if banks don't accept residents having foreign passports. Eligibility or ownership verification would be facilitated (for example, when paying with a credit card or cheque, or attempting to buy age-restricted products). False identification may be reduced where identity cards are required to access a bank account. Of course, phishing and many other forms ofidentity theft will be unaffected. Identity cards can be a useful administrative tool that can increase efficiency in dealings with both the government and private companies. In US states that don't issue identity cards, private companies like banks require equivalent documents, such as a driver's license (for fraud protection). Persons who don't have a driver's license are usually required in practice to get a document that is something very much like an identity card, if possible. Cards may help reduce immigration service bureaucracy. In certain countries, the procedures for deporting illegal immigrants whose ages, identities or nationalities cannot be formally established are more complex than those for whom they can be readily asserted. This gives illegal immigrants more time to prepare their legal defence. In some countries (Spain, for instance) it may prevent the immigrant's deportation altogether. However, in this situation most illegal immigrants will destroy their identity papers, nullifying the reduction in bureaucracy. Every human being already carries one's own personal identification in the form of one's DNA, which can not be falsified or discarded. Even for non-state commercial and private interactions, this may shortly become the preferred identifier, rendering a state-issued identity card a lesser evil than the potentially extensive privacy risks associated with everyday use of a person's genetic profile for identification purposes.[2][3][4][5][6] . In many countries ID Cards are given only to citizens (for instance, Pakistan), these can be a source of pride since they are often the most tangible proof of citizenship. A national identity card available for all residents in a country would reduce a problem that otherwise would occur: Banks and some other companies do de facto require identity cards, and if they also did handle the issuing of cards, they could refuse it for security reasons. A national authority has better opportunities to check identities, and to take the responsibility for the issuing, while banks don't want to guarrantee uncertain identities. [edit]Arguments against Further information: freedom of movement and propiska This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (July 2009) . Commercial organisations such as banks typically do not try to authenticate the identity of a person, but rather the validity of a transactions (e.g. by signature or PIN) due to the acknowledged difficulty in reliably identifying an individual in a fraud proof and convenient manner. It has been argued that identity cards impose a disproportionate burden upon both government and citizens while empowering the executive, which is contrary to the maxim: "the government that governs best, governs least". Some have pointed out that extensive lobbying for identity cards has been undertaken, in countries without compulsory identity cards, by IT companies who will be likely to reap rich benefits in the event of an identity card scheme being implemented. Cards with centralised database could be used to track anyone's movements and private life, thus endangering privacy. The proposed British ID card (see next section) will involve a series of linked databases, to be managed by the private sector. Managing disparate linked systems using a range of institutions and any number of personnel is alleged to be a security disaster in the making.[7] . A requirement to carry an identity card at all times can lead to the inconvenience of arbitrary requests from card controllers (such as thepolice). This can lead to functionality creep whereby carrying a card becomes de facto if not de jure compulsory, as in the case of Social Security numbers in the USA, which are now widely used as ID. Government claims that identity cards will prevent crimes may not be based in fact. The former UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke conceded that identity cards may be useful only in the identification of bodies in the aftermath of a crime. As a strong presumption of identity is given in favour of a card holder, the identity card scheme might be an asset to potential terrorists. In many cases, other forms of documentation such as a driver's license, passport, or Medicare card serve a similar function on a more limited scale, and thus an ID card is not needed. The cost of introducing and administering an identity card system can be very high. Figures from £30 (US$60) to £90 or even higher have been suggested for the proposed UK ID card.[8] . In some countries where ID cards were required to show religious affiliation (as used to be the case in Greece) or ethnic background, this led to cases of discrimination. Under some interpretations of Sharia law, apostate Muslims may be sentenced to death. Malaysia's identity cards state the religion only if a person's religion is Islam.