Police guidance on facial recognition technology ‘a hammer blow to privacy’ – The Independent

Posted March 22nd, 2022 in facial mapping, identification, news, police, privacy, victims, witnesses by tracey

‘Innocent people like victims and potential witnesses could be placed on police watchlists under guidance on the use of facial recognition systems, civil liberties groups have warned.’

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The Independent, 22nd March 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Elections Bill: MPs approve plans for voter ID checks – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2022 in bills, elections, fraud, government departments, identification, news by michael

‘MPs have backed proposals to introduce mandatory voter ID for elections, a major change to the electoral process in the UK.’

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BBC News, 18th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Voter ID: MPs urge government to rethink plans for election checks – BBC News

Posted December 13th, 2021 in bills, elections, government departments, identification, identity fraud, news by tracey

‘The UK government should rethink its plans to require voters to show photo ID at polling stations, MPs say.’

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BBC News, 13th December 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Universal credit claimants were sent unlawful demands to repay, says charity – The Guardian

Posted November 15th, 2021 in benefits, charities, coronavirus, government departments, identification, news by tracey

‘The Department for Work and Pensions has unlawfully told “significant” numbers of people who legitimately claimed universal credit at the start of the pandemic to repay money often totalling thousands of pounds, a charity has claimed.’

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The Guardian, 13th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office must rethink ‘regressive’ plans to use X-ray asylum seekers for age assessments, say charities – The Independent

‘The Home Office must rethink its “regressive and unethical” plans to use scientific methods such X-rays to age assess asylum seekers, a coalition of children’s charities has warned.’

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The Independent, 1st November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Proposed Voter ID reforms in the UK: The dangers of ‘fraud’ based regulation – Oxford Human Rights Hub

Posted October 22nd, 2021 in bills, elections, equality, fraud, human rights, identification, identity fraud, news by sally

‘The UK government’s Election Bill containing controversial Voter ID provisions is progressing with haste through parliament this month, despite significant alarm over its potential impact. Whilst the government claims the bill will increase ballot security, all evidence points to these proposals being harmful to voter access and electoral integrity as the US experience demonstrates.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 18th October 2021

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Jacob Eisler: Voter ID and the Elections Bill 2021: Legislative Manipulation of Democratic Procedure and the Limits of Judicial Review – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted September 29th, 2021 in bills, constitutional law, elections, fraud, identification, judicial review, news by sally

‘The Elections Bill 2021, as of the date of publication for the House of Commons Committee stage, advances a variety of changes to the regulation of elections and the practice of voting in the UK. Of the reforms, one controversially reshapes the practical experience of voting for most citizens. A new voter ID requirement will amend the Representation of the People Act 1983 to require proof of identity, in the form of a photographic ID such as a passport, drivers’ license, or dedicated voter identity document, for in-person voting. While this may seem like a light burden, both the broader impact of such a requirement on voting and the underlying anti-fraud rationale have raised significant concerns.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 29th September 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

How Will Voter ID Impact Human Rights? – Each Other

Posted September 22nd, 2021 in bills, elections, fraud, human rights, identification, news, statistics by sally

‘A new bill could prevent millions of people from being able to vote, according to a report published by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR).’

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Each Other, 21st September 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

What does the UK elections bill set out? – The Guardian

Posted September 8th, 2021 in bills, elections, government departments, identification, identity fraud, news by sally

‘The elections bill, which will be debated in the Commons for the first time on Tuesday, is, according to the government, an ambitious and timely set of plans to ensure elections remain fair and secure. To critics, it is undemocratic and intended to rig elections in favour of the Conservatives. So what does the bill set out?’

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The Guardian, 7th September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

How undocumented migrants are blocked from booking Covid vaccinations – The Independent

Posted July 16th, 2021 in coronavirus, doctors, identification, immigration, news, vaccination by tracey

‘Hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants face being blocked from booking Covid vaccinations, it can be revealed, because GP surgeries are refusing to register them – in breach of official guidance.’

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The Independent, 16th July 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

New Elections Bill to ‘protect democracy,’ says government – BBC News

Posted July 6th, 2021 in bills, elections, government departments, identification, news by sally

‘Controversial plans to require voters to show photo ID at polling stations have been introduced in Parliament.’

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BBC News, 5th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Millions in UK face disenfranchisement under voter ID plans – The Guardian

Posted July 5th, 2021 in bills, elections, identification, news by tracey

‘Millions of voters could be disenfranchised under “discriminatory” plans due to be unveiled on Monday that will force people to carry identification to cast a ballot, Labour has warned.’

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The Guardian, 4th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Elections and compulsory photo ID – what effect will it have on Gypsies and Irish Travellers? – Each Other

Posted May 21st, 2021 in bills, elections, equality, human rights, identification, news, travellers by tracey

‘At the annual Queen’s Speech last week, the controversial Electoral Integrity Bill was announced. If passed, it means that voters will need to produce a valid form of photo ID when they cast their vote. The government rationale behind the legislation is to secure trust and prevent fraud in UK voting systems. It is thought the legislation will be in place by next year. Despite being routinely practiced in many countries, including Northern Ireland and the United States, this type of legislation has been criticised for deterring voters and, more problematically, disenfranchising poorer, minority and elderly voters. This is due to the fact that procuring approved forms of identification can be expensive and time consuming.’

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Each Other, 20th May 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Government’s Photo ID Plans Put Voters’ Rights At Risk – Each Other

‘Requiring voters to prove their identity by presenting photo ID at polling stations risks infringing electors’ right to vote freely and fairly.’

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Each Other, 11th May 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Supreme court to hear challenge to UK’s voter ID trial in 2019 election – The Guardian

‘The supreme court is to hear a challenge to the government’s decision to hold voter ID trials in 2019 in a case that could have implications for the wider rollout of the scheme.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Warning over photo ID law change for UK-wide and English elections – The Guardian

Posted March 9th, 2021 in bills, elections, equality, identification, minorities, news by tracey

‘Changing the law to force people to show photo ID to take part in UK elections will be catastrophic for ethnic minority communities, increasing barriers to access and in effect disenfranchising them, equality and democracy campaigners have warned.’

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The Guardian, 9th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judges overturn conviction for refusal to give name and address in case of suspected Covid regulations breach – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 25th, 2021 in coronavirus, human rights, identification, news, regulations by sally

‘The Administrative Court has ruled that a man was entitled to refuse to give his name and address to a police officer who wanted to issue a fixed penalty notice for breach of lockdown regulations.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 24th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Firm fined £14,000 after missing ‘red flags’ on property work – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 26th, 2020 in conveyancing, fines, identification, land registration, law firms, news by tracey

‘A Midlands firm which wrongly rated three property transactions as low risk has been fined £14,000 for breaching anti-money laundering rules.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 24th November 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Muslim Bar student “forced to defer exam” over headscarf demand – Legal Futures

‘A Muslim Bar student has spoken about how she felt forced to defer her exams to December because the Bar Standards Board (BSB) said she had to remove her headscarf for ID purposes but could not guarantee that it would a woman who would watch.’

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Legal Futures, 14th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Challenge to new voter ID pilot dismissed by Court of Appeal – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Government’s announcement that eleven local authorities across England would be taking part in voter ID pilots for the 2019 local elections was controversial. There is a heated debate as to whether citizens should have to provide photo identification before receiving their ballot at elections. For some, it is a straight-forward measure to avoid the risk of fraud. For others, it is a policy that, by design or inadvertently, leads to the disenfranchisement of certain groups.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th June 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com