The UK government's ID card plans have been slammed by a data protection watchdog, with claims that there remains very little in the way of justification for storing so much personal and biometric information in a centralised database, known as a central national identity register (NIR). Information commissioner Richard Thomas called plans to gather such extensive levels of personal data into the national identity register "excessive and disproportionate", saying it was unwarranted and intrusive.
"The measures in the bill go well beyond establishing a secure, reliable and trustworthy ID card," Thomas said.