Data watchdog blasts secrecy over ID cards

The man who will be an integral part of the UK's proposed ID card rollout – Information Commissioner Richard Thomas – has slammed the government's plans.

Talking to MPs yesterday at a meeting of the home affairs committee, Thomas said he had treated initial plans with "healthy scepticism" but as more information on the rollout came to light, he became "increasingly alarmed", adding that the cards would be a temptation to criminals.

Thomas - who will be responsible for guaranteeing the ID card data is accessed and used fairly - said the scheme hadn't been presented to the person in the street clearly and the creation of a register of every individual in the UK had been swept under the carpet.

"The introduction of [the] register marks a sea change in the relationship between the state and the individual. It is therefore essential that a clearly defined proposal is brought forward detailing how the scheme is intended to work in practice," he said.

The Information Commissioner will give his official response to the scheme in July.