Home Secretary's ID Stolen and Sold

Four people have been arrested after the BBC bought a driving licence and utility bills in the name of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The Beeb has spent the last three months investigating one of the many websites which sell identity documents. It bought a driving licence, a gas bill and a bank statement in Jacqui Smith's name.

Identity experts said the quality of the documents was disturbing and they were more than good enough to commit further ID theft.

Security expert Bruce Schneier has slated the UK's ID card scheme, saying that not only will it not solve e-crime, it will also make ID theft worse.

The security guru told ZDNet UK on Wednesday that the risks of implementing a centralised ID card scheme were "severe", with little return on the investment required.

"Having a single ID is much more dangerous [than multiple IDs]," said Schneier. "ID theft is fraud due to impersonation. If you have a centralised ID card, you are making that ID that much more valuable to criminals," Schneier added.

How about ID cards?

In general, ID cards are a complete waste of money — a former MI5 director said that. It's all very well for me to say that, but it's nice to know Stella Rimington feels that way too.

The ID card debate in the UK is all about population control — it's about controlling immigration, not terrorism. It is unfortunate the UK isn't having that debate properly.