Posts by sheila

Cameron: We'll turn NHS patients into real-time drugs lab rats

As usual Scotland is ahead of the game...

As detailed here: http://www.home-education.biz/forum/56529-post2.html

For more on Big Brother Scotland see here: http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

Cabinet Office outlines gov-portal 'ID assurance' plans

Warning from Scotland

In Scotland our Citizens Account links to something much bigger.

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/48407-post3.html

The Scottish surveillance scandal has recently been exposed by old school investigative journalist Kenneth Roy of the Scottish Review. I've been collating Kenneth's excellent articles and other recent coverage on the Big Brother Scotland thread mentioned in the above post.

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

All these systems are to be interoperable and it's not just me scaremongering. This is what open democracy has to say:

http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/kenneth-roy/scotlands-secret-files-two-part-expose-of-scottish-database-state

"In this two-part exposé, Kenneth Roy, editor of the Scottish Review, reveals the true nature of the long-awaited 'privacy principles' and the back-door introduction of a compulsory ID scheme for Scotland. In both cases, it is the liberties of children that are first on the line.In addition to the intrinsic importance of what happens in Scotland, there are two reasons why everyone across the UK should be alert to warnings of this kind. OurKingdom and openDemocracy played a big role in the 2009 Convention on Modern Liberty. This was a"wake up call" about the dangers of the database state. The evidence it brought together shows that there is a driving state-culture pushing for the penetration of information on citizens and central control of that information, while people are far too complacent and trusting about what this process is, which is being developed with minimal publicity. This is the first reason. Second, from the Poll Tax to the Scottish Consitutional Convention, in both bad ways and good, what happens in Scotland today can impact on what happens in London tomorrow. This is a warning! "

The repeal bill: what's left in, what's left out

The most dangerous threats..

...to our freedoms develop quietly behind the scenes regardless of which colour of politician are "in power" on the stage and don't get reported in the mainstream media.

Kenneth Roy, a highly respected old school journalist with his own online publication has recently highlighted the Scottish surveillance scandal - a joined-up, cradle to grave citizen surveillance and monitoring system which makes ID cards , Contactpoint and the NIR look almost benign.

Open Democracy commented thus on his latest articles:

"In this two-part exposé, Kenneth Roy, editor of the Scottish Review, reveals the true nature of the long-awaited 'privacy principles' and the back-door introduction of a compulsory ID scheme for Scotland. In both cases, it is the liberties of children that are first on the line. In addition to the intrinsic importance of what happens in Scotland, there are two reasons why everyone across the UK should be alert to warnings of this kind. OurKingdom and openDemocracy played a big role in the 2009 Convention on Modern Liberty. This was a"wake up call" about the dangers of the database state. The evidence it brought together shows that there is a driving state-culture pushing for the penetration of information on citizens and central control of that information, while people are far too complacent and trusting about what this process is, which is being developed with minimal publicity. This is the first reason. Second, from the Poll Tax to the Scottish Consitutional Convention, in both bad ways and good, what happens in Scotland today can impact on what happens in London tomorrow. This is a warning!

Please heed this warning and read the rest of Kenneth's articles and other related coverage which I'm collating on this thread:

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

For some reason, an awful lot of effort has been put into painting Scotland as the epitome of privacy friendliness when nothing could be further from the truth. The only thing myself and others can think of is that our Scottish system, with its prize-winning eCare framework, is destined for further rollout.

Protection of Freedoms Bill is released

Meanwhile quietly and behind the scenes..

Scotland it developing a "cradle to grave" surveillance scheme which makes ID cards and the NIR look positively benign.

Before those NOTB move on, please read this recent warning from Open Democracy:

"In this two-part exposé, Kenneth Roy, editor of the Scottish Review, reveals the true nature of the long-awaited 'privacy principles' and the back-door introduction of a compulsory ID scheme for Scotland. In both cases, it is the liberties of children that are first on the line. In addition to the intrinsic importance of what happens in Scotland, there are two reasons why everyone across the UK should be alert to warnings of this kind. OurKingdom and openDemocracy played a big role in the 2009 Convention on Modern Liberty. This was a"wake up call" about the dangers of the database state. The evidence it brought together shows that there is a driving state-culture pushing for the penetration of information on citizens and central control of that information, while people are far too complacent and trusting about what this process is, which is being developed with minimal publicity. This is the first reason. Second, from the Poll Tax to the Scottish Consitutional Convention, in both bad ways and good, what happens in Scotland today can impact on what happens in London tomorrow. This is a warning!

http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/kenneth-roy/scotlands-secret-files-two-part-expose-of-scottish-database-state

For the rest of Kenneth's excellent articles and other recent coverage, please visit this forum thread:

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

UK.gov shreds last ID scheme hard drives

A warning from Open Democracy - not just Scotland!

"In this two-part exposé, Kenneth Roy, editor of the Scottish Review, reveals the true nature of the long-awaited 'privacy principles' and the back-door introduction of a compulsory ID scheme for Scotland. In both cases, it is the liberties of children that are first on the line. In addition to the intrinsic importance of what happens in Scotland, there are two reasons why everyone across the UK should be alert to warnings of this kind. OurKingdom and openDemocracy played a big role in the 2009 Convention on Modern Liberty. This was a"wake up call" about the dangers of the database state. The evidence it brought together shows that there is a driving state-culture pushing for the penetration of information on citizens and central control of that information, while people are far too complacent and trusting about what this process is, which is being developed with minimal publicity. This is the first reason. Second, from the Poll Tax to the Scottish Consitutional Convention, in both bad ways and good, what happens in Scotland today can impact on what happens in London tomorrow. This is a warning!

http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/kenneth-roy/scotlands-secret-files-two-part-expose-of-scottish-database-state

For the rest of Kenneth's excellant articles and other recent coverage, please visit this forum thread:

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

End of the line for ID cards

Scotland first...

This is only one of several investigations into by Kenneth Roy.

I have posted these and other recent coverage of the issues on this forum thread:

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

Please read and pass on.

ContactPoint may be cannibalised for parts

oops! forgot that last link

Sorry folks, the link with all the recent coverage of the Scottish surveillance scandal is here:

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

Pleas take the time to read :)

lessons from scotland

Don't be distracted. This is not about "children known to be at risk" or children for that matter...

Surveillance in the guise of child protection scam explained here:

http://www.scottishreview.net/SheilaStruthers50.shtml

Every Child Matters (ECM) and Getting it right for every child (Girfec) are all but identical which is not surprising as systems are intended to be interoperable nationally and EU wide:

http://www.epractice.eu/en/news/283629

eCare provides is a federated system of databases: health, education, police, social work, the voluntary sector, housing etc etc...which provides "a single view of the citizen".

Please google that phrase.

Corelogic is one of the companies (there are a few, Visionware is another)providing eCare solutions in Scotland (only available as a cache now).

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s … =firefox-a

Here are their customers:

http://www.corelogic.co.uk/Customers

They are selling their latest version as supporting the Munro review:

http://www.corelogic.co.uk/Home

The latest sales pitch being used to promote the e-government surveillance agenda North and South of the border is early intervention:

http://subrosa-blonde.blogspot.com/2010/12/early-intervention-and-universal.html

Read this from Monday:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1347925/Year-groups-start-birth-make-children-school-ready-says-report.html

"The authors believe such a concept - in which babies enter Year One at birth - would ensure parents understand the 'health and education cycle' starts when the child is born, not when they start school."

The Scottish surveillance scandal - I don't think that is too strong a word - has recently been exposed in a most eloquent manner by Kenneth Roy , an old school investigative journalist with his own online publication. I have posted all the recent coveragge on this discussion thread. Please take the time to read - it really is of relevance SOTB

Mind your own: Scotland unveils privacy principles

sounds lovely but...

...simply doesn't fit with what is happening on the ground as Girfec and eCare are rolled out.

These issues have recently been given a much needed airing by Kenneth Roy of the Scottish Review - an old school investigative reoporter. He is continuing the series in January.

I am putting all the recent links on this discussion thread:

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/12948-big-brother-scotland.html

Please read.

Did UK.gov break the law with its child database?

From 2004 introduction to Ryogens

Table 2: Reasons currently identified for sharing information about Children and Young People without consent

www.localtgov.org.uk/.../Ryogens/.../EXAMPLE%20Ox%20Evaluation%20Final%20Report.doc

Drop down list of choices to share information without consent with enabling legislation.

Too long to copy but includes this gem:

Promoting social inclusion (including the reduction of risk factors).

Section 2 of the Local Government Act 2000 -discretionary power for LAs to do anything likely to promote or improve the "economic, social or environmental well-being" of their area. Aim is to help LAs ensure service delivery is co-ordinated in ways which minimise duplication, maximise effectiveness and present a concerted approach to the causes of complex problems such as social exclusion.

Funnily enough...

...the data to be gathered about every child and associated adults under the Scottish Getting it right for every child initiative (Girfec) bears an uncanny resemblence to the eCAF.

I've ranted on elsewhere on these forums about how I suspect the Scottish Girfec/eCare combo is destined for wider roll-out.

Read Kenneth Roy in the Scottish Review:

"'Scotland has quietly led the way in the national data sharing agenda with its innovative eCare programme,' enthuses a journal devoted to the exciting new world of information-sharing. The key word in that sentence is quietly."

http://www.scottishreview.net/KRoy28.shtml

http://www.scottishreview.net/KRoy29.shtml

http://www.scottishreview.net/KRoy30.shtml

Government will shred ID card data

Warning from Scotland

Scotland has been quietly developing the eCare system which makes the NIR look quite tame.

One of the main main justifications for gathering information is that it will protect children.

There is evidence that this set-up may be destined for further roll-out.

Read Kenneth Roy in the Scottish Review:

"'Scotland has quietly led the way in the national data sharing agenda with its innovative eCare programme,' enthuses a journal devoted to the exciting new world of information-sharing. The key word in that sentence is quietly."

http://www.scottishreview.net/KRoy28.shtml

http://www.scottishreview.net/KRoy29.shtml

http://www.scottishreview.net/KRoy30.shtml

CISx plans scrapped

The likely scenario is...

That the rest of the country get sold the much-hyped "prize-winning" Scottish eCare/Girfec system - all to protect children of course...replaces the NIR and Contactoint with added intrusion value!

eCare: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

Just a fraction of the information tobe gathered for every citizen and stored within the system:

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms&guidance-aug09/phnr-contents-list.pdf

Hype: http://www.identityblog.com/?p=917

Spin: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/02/scottish_data_collection/

Destined for further roll-out?: http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Archive/990180/England-learn-joint-working-parts-UK-say-social-workers/

UK.gov finally kills ContactPoint

victoria climbie

Contact point ( and the rest of the Every Child matters agenda) was/is constantly presented as having been developed as a result of the the Laming report (published on 28 January 2003) on the death of Victoria Climbié.

This is untrue and a disgusting exploitation of her death.

Privacy and data-sharing: the way forward for public services – a performance and innovation report dated 2002 – was published by the Blair UK Government and set out (among other intended reforms) changes to children’s services which the public and professionals were led to believe were being instigated as a result of the Laming report.

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/strategy/assets/piu%20data.pdf

In turn, all these policies are part of the European e-government agenda which emerged from Lisbon in 2000.

http://www.epractice.eu/en/news/283629

in Scotland we have had our own version of this and now have an SNP administration administering Blairite EU tosh so beware of the Condems refering to "prize-winning" policy from Scotland:

This Times article from 2003 - ID card scheme for babies to help prevent child abuse - is where we were...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article1111199.ece

This is where we are...

Getting it right for every child - gathering information for every citizen

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms&guidance-aug09/phnr-contents-list.pdf

eCare - frame 17 speaks for itself

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

NIR , ID card (eCare is lined to our entitlement card) , PNC all in one :(

This agenda - which if not halted will lead to tragic consequences which are opposed to its alleged aims ie individual and family privacy will be destroyed , children will be damaged, valuable resources will be squandered, those at real risk will not get the help they so desperately need.

ID card astroturf - No2ID beats the truth out of IPS

Scotland

"You can *bet* the people in charge of that will continue to search for politicians *gullible* enough to believe their "It'll be the answer to your problem (crisis de jour whatever that happens to be) very cost effective as we've done all the development work already."

My bet is on the Scottish System. There has already been some hard sell (see my other posts - http://forums.theregister.co.uk/user/35790/).

Put simply: Getting it right for every child + national entitlement card + eCare = IDcards+NIR only worse...

The CHI number cited in these forms Girfec forms (http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms&guidance-aug09/phnr-contents-list.pdf)

is the citizen's eCare ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf)

identifier which also links with the NEC (http://www.jwelford.demon.co.uk/snec/report.pdf).

Or as this lovely EU doc ( http://www.mcegov.eu/media/695/scottish%20gov%20v5-f-rev%20formatted%20final.pdf)puts it:

"In the absence of identity cards a form of information ‘link’ across the services is provided by theCHI (Community Health Index21) Number. 90% of residents (soon to be 100%) have the number,allocated within two days of birth, which is their date of birth plus a four-digit identifier. The CHInumber functions as a ‘pseudo-identity’ mechanism, and at present the automated matching ofrecords is successful in about 67% of operations, with manual matching then taking place andany data corrections being fed back into the respective databases. Thus the CHI numberprovides in incrementally improving mechanism to link records across the domains of socialinclusion."

ContactPoint to be erased from history

getting it right for EVERY child/Every child matters

This was never about child protection...always about universal surveillance and it isn't just going to go away.

Lord Laming’s report following the Victoria Climbie inquiry, which is cited as the catalyst for children’s services reform in England was published on 28 January 2003.

Privacy and data-sharing: the way forward for public services ( http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/strategy/assets/piu%20data.pdf) – sets out (among other intended reforms) changes to children’s services which the public and professionals were led to believe were being instigated as a result of the Laming reports. It is dated 2002.

These forms (for EVERY child, their family and associated third parties) from Scotland's Girfec initiative bear an uncanny resemblance to the eCaf.

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms&guidance-aug09/phnr-contents-list.pdf

Please look at this link...

There has been a lot of effort and money put in to promoting the myth that the Scottish eCare/Girfec system is less intrusive than much of what is meant to be being dismantled in England (Contactpoint etc.).

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/02/scottish_data_collection/

http://www.identityblog.com/?p=917

There is a history of unpalatable policies being test-run on the Scots (think poll tax). As one commentator recently put it :

"It seems that this parallels the Poll tax.

If something really smells, send it North for a trial. eCare is an EU programme , it appears, being test run on Scotland.

The Scots rebelled over the Poll Tax, why not eCare? Or don't Scots care about losing all their privacy and freedom?

Isn't it time for the clans to gather once more, and drive out the invading foreigner, determined to bring Scotland under the heel."

Beware of anything that tries to sell the Scottish system:

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Social-Care/990180/England-learn-joint-working-parts-UK-say-social-workers/

rebranded and tied up with a pretty tartan ribbon

Spot on anon! Sounds like Scotland's prize-winning eCare system.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/PublicServiceReform/efficientgovernment/DataStandardsAndeCare

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms&guidance-aug09/phnr-contents-list.pdf

http://visionwareplc.com/page.cfm?pageid=359

Kind of replaces the NIR too - handy that.

Scotland allows collection of children's DNA

at the risk of repeating myself...

"The new powers relate only to children who are referred to a children's hearing over allegations and either admit them or are found to have committed the acts complained of."

Although the grounds for referal can be challeged, admitting the allegations (usually without any legal advice - see my previous post on this) is not the same as being convicted in an adult court..

Children admitting to offences without legal advice

"The new powers relate only to children who are referred to a children's hearing over allegations and either admit them or are found to have committed the acts complained of."

From last week's Herald:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/news/crime-courts/children-s-lives-being-ruined-by-panel-records-1.1038484

"Vulnerable young Scots are unknowingly agreeing to have a criminal record until the age of 40, leaving many unable to get jobs and university places.

Senior staff at the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA), the Scottish Children’s Commission and other bodies, have warned youngsters are being stigmatised by appearing before Children’s Hearings without legal advice and agreeing they have carried out offences.

These midemeanours are then uncovered if, later in life, they have to undergo enhanced disclosure checks...."

Confidential report reveals ContactPoint security fears

Beware of Scots bearing federated databases

There has been a lot of effort and money put in to promoting the myth that the Scottish system (eCare/ Getting it right for every child and other associated nasties) is less intrusive than the English:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/02/scottish_data_collection/

Sadly it is working.

ECare set up an expert group on privacy principles (this blogpost reveals quite a lot):

http://www.socitm09.net/blog/2009/10/13/getting-it-right-for-every-child/

Almost everyone on this panel (or the law company they work for) has been involved in some capacity with the development of the eCare system or has obvious or not so obvious links to Microsoft. Objective? I think not.

There it is a real possibility that the eCare/girfec model may be destined for wider roll-out . As one commentator recently put it :

"It seems that this parallels the Poll tax.

If something really smells, send it North for a trial. eCare is an EU programme , it appears, being test run on Scotland.

The Scots rebelled over the Poll Tax, why not eCare? Or don't Scots care about losing all their privacy and freedom?

Isn't it time for the clans to gather once more, and drive out the invading foreigner, determined to bring Scotland under the heel."

This also allows the Tories to scrap Contactpoint as promised. How handy!

Slightly out of date but still sound background here:

http://www.home-education.biz/blog/civil-liberties/id-cards-for-babies-the-rest-will-follow

Government yet to set ContactPoint closure date

surveillance in the guise of child protection lie

There have been significant developments since this blogpost was written - it does however spell out how tragic abuse cases have been exploited to sell the pan-european e-goverment agenda.

http://www.home-education.biz/blog/civil-liberties/id-cards-for-babies-the-rest-will-follow

"The Getting It Right For Every Child agenda, along with raft of other associated initiatives, has been publicly presented as a response to the inquiry following the death of Danielle Reid, released to the public by Highland Child Protection Committee on 7 March 2006.

Dr Jean Herbison, the author of this report, refers to similarities to Lord Laming’s report into the death of Victoria Climbie:

In England, Lord Laming has published his report into the death of Victoria Climbié, who died on 25th February 2000. His recommendations were the most detailed in relation to system change and professional practice throughout the United Kingdom. The reader of this report in relation to Danielle Reid will be struck by similarities in all these reports. The findings reveal serious gaps in service provision to the vulnerable and at risk child. There has been an identification of lack of robust systems in place early enough to protect Scotland’s children.

Lord Laming’s report following the Victoria Climbie inquiry, which is cited as the catalyst for children’s services reform in England in a similar way to the Danielle Reid report in Scotland, was published on 28 January 2003.

Policies and legislation do differ north and south of the border, but the similarities far outnumber the differences. Getting It Right For Every Child is the Scottish equivalent to Every Child Matters in England, just as the Integrated Assessment Framework in Scotland corresponds with the Common Assessment Framework.

Privacy and data-sharing: the way forward for public services ( http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/strategy/assets/piu%20data.pdf) – a performance and innovation report dated 2002 – was published by the UK Government and set out (among other intended reforms) changes to children’s services which the public and professionals were led to believe were being instigated as a result of the Laming or Herbison reports."

Biometric passport 2.0 scrapped alongside ID cards, NIR

Warning from Scotland

There is a history of unpalatable policies being test-run on the Scots (think poll tax).

The biggest assault on our liberties is being perpetrated in the guise of child protection.

An awful lot of effort has gone into persuading the great and the good that the Scottish system

(Getting it right for every child = Gathering information for every citizen)

is less intrusive than the English ((Every Child Matters = Every Citizen Monitored).

How much more intrusive can it get? This just the start of the information that is to be gathered for every citizen...

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms-nov08/phnr-v4-contents.pdf

...and stored here

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

Frame 17 really puts us in our place :(

The evidence is growing that the eCare/Girfec model may be destined for further roll-out.

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Social-Care/990180/England-learn-joint-working-parts-UK-say-social-workers/

Identity & Passport Service in suicide bid?

Hopefully...

...there will be no money for any of this nonsense.

However there is a history of unpalatable policies being test-run on the Scots (think poll tax).

The biggest assault on our liberties is being perpetrated in the guise of child protection.

An awful lot of effort has gone into persuading the great and the good that the Scottish system

(Getting it right for every child = Gathering information for every citizen)

is less intrusive than the English ((Every Child Matters = Every Citizen Monitored).

How much more intrusive can it get? This just the start of the information that is to be gathered for every citizen...

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms-nov08/phnr-v4-contents.pdf

...and stored here

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

Frame 17 really puts us in our place :(

The evidence is growing that the eCare/Girfec model may be destined for further roll-out.

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Social-Care/990180/England-learn-joint-working-parts-UK-say-social-workers/

IBM predicts reoffending rates for prisoners

early intervention for all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6xbKFlawOk

Big Brother Watch manifesto makes plea for privacy

meanwhile north of the border...

There is a history of unpalatable policies being test-run on the Scots (think poll tax).

The biggest assault on our liberties is being perpetrated in the guise of child protection.

An awful lot of effort has gone into persuading the great and the good that the Scottish system

(Getting it right for every child = Gathering information for every citizen)

is less intrusive than the English ((Every Child Matters = Every Citizen Monitored).

How much more intrusive can it get? This just the start of the information that is to be gathered for every citizen...

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms-nov08/phnr-v4-contents.pdf

...and stored here http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

Frame 17 really puts us in our place :(

The evidence is growing that the eCare/Girfec model may be destined for further roll-out.

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Social-Care/990180/England-learn-joint-working-parts-UK-say-social-workers/

This has been picked up on and expanded here.

http://theconservativeblog.co.uk/?p=3140

Tories put ID cards, Contactpoint on manifesto hit list

Warning from Scotland

There has been a lot of effort put into spinning the less intrusive qualities of "the Scottish system" :

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09...ta_collection/

Seems increasingly likely that all this effort means that our EU prize-winning eCare system is destined for greater things:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf

This has recently been picked up here:

http://theconservativeblog.co.uk/?p=3140

How intrusive can it get?

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/...4-contents.pdf

Every Child Matters = Every Citizen Monitored

Getting it right for every child = Getting information recorded for every citizen

So the Tories can scrap Contactpoint, ID cards and much else probably to loud applause and then introduce the much hyped "less intrusive" Scottish system which will do all that and then some.

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDisci...ocial-workers/

Sorted :(

With MS funding, No2ID gains entry to EU eID group

This stinks... explains a lot though...

Wrt the Scottish eCare system:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/PublicServiceReform/efficientgovernment/DataStandardsAndeCare

And the much hyped privacy panel

http://www.pinsentmasons.com/Default.aspx?page=1630

Do a few searches and the Microsoft connections are quite blindingly obvious as I discovered a while back - Jerry Fishenden was a bit of a giveaway :)

Seriously, almost all these people have been involved with the eCare project from way back (including Pinsent-masons) and one (or his dept at Edinburgh University) received £63 000 for ecare resarch 2003/2004.

Can supply further links if anyone is interested.

Lost faith in NO2ID a while back - this confirms why.

Very sad

Scottish doc swerves charges for snooping

motive?

Comment here suggests that " he was actually demonstrating how easy it is for anyone in the NHS to access info which they could use and sell to make a point about patient confidentiality."

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/media/9955-scottish-doc-swerves-charges-for-snooping.html

Maybe he is one of the good guys...

UK.gov rejects calls to open up on ContactPoint security

The great big surveillance in the guise of child protection scam

Lord Laming’s report following the Victoria Climbie inquiry, which is ubiquitously cited as the catalyst for children’s services reform, was published on 28 January 2003.

Privacy and data-sharing: the way forward for public services - a performance and innovation report dated 2002 - was published by the UK Government and set out (among other intended reforms) changes to children's services which the public and professionals were led to believe were being instigated as a result of the Laming reports.

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/strategy/assets/piu%20data.pdf

"Helping children in need

Objective: To reduce the number of children missing substantial periods of school and ensure children do not miss out on core public services.

Need for better data use: Information sharing between local agencies to advise local education authorities of the whereabouts of children for whom they have a duty to provide education, and to develop an overview of individual needs to enable a more targeted response.

Issues: Every year a substantial number of children are lost from the school rolls and become ‘invisible’ to the local education authorities which have responsibility for providing their education.

However, the majority of these children will be known to other local agencies – GPs, social services, housing authorities, the Benefits Agency, voluntary sector organisations, immigration authorities and others. At local level, protocols often do not exist for agencies to share information, and where channels of communication are in place, data protection issues can be a barrier to providing effective interventions for children. Good practice on joint working does exist in many areas but it is not replicated throughout the country. There is no co-ordinated approach to the spread of good practice. Better use of the full range of information held by government on this key customer group would enable all services to be tailored to meet their specific needs, ensuring that children are able to make the most of their potential. Information from all key service providers – education, health, social services and so on – would need to be brought together securely in order to enable services to target responses."

Scotland

This is what is happening in Scotland:

http://www.home-education.biz/Blogs/21/59/id-cards-for-babies-the-rest-will-follow/

GIRFEC evaluation just out.

As you can see the GIRFEC/eCare combo makes Contactpoint look pretty puny.

Funnily enough, some people are going to a lot of effort to make everyone to think that the Scottish system is less intrusive than the English one:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/02/scottish_data_collection/

The last ranty comment is mine....

UK.gov hoovers up data on five-year-olds

@Anonymous Coward - Home educators first, then the rest of you

Spot on! I know it has become a bit of a cliche but Pastor Martin Niemöller's poem sums up what is happening with the database state...

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Substitute, junkies, gypsy-travellers, Muslims, home-educators, carers, vulnerable adults, domestic extremists, all children ( tomorrow's adults) or wtf you like...

Home ed forums has some lively discussions on the surveillance issues - and of course info on life without school.........

http://www.home-education.biz/

What choice of platform...

This lot seem to be doing very well http://www.corelogic.co.uk/?Section=34&Track=/34/

N Lincs are using this http://www.visionwareplc.com/page.cfm?PageID=133&NewsID=152

Not techie *ducks* so can't comment...except to say I don't care how they store the info they have no right to it in the first place.

Up in not so bonny Scotland we have a pathfinder project with similar intrusions only they start when you are still in the womb.

http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms-nov08/phnr-v4-contents.pdf

Further info here:

http://www.home-education.biz/Blogs/21/59/id-cards-for-babies-the-rest-will-follow/

We have the added "benefit" of "prize-winning" ecare.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/PublicServiceReform/efficientgovernment/DataStandardsAndeCare

http://www.visionwareplc.com/page.cfm?pageid=359

http://www.corelogic.co.uk/?Section=48&Track=/34/48/

In fact they have put so much energy into selling what Scotland are doing, I have my suspicions:

http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?p=111079&sid=c668a5a618f97ed2d4be64546931fb5b

Tory surveillance backlash: Worthy, but is it workable?

child protection trojan horse

The Tories are still committed to the Every Child Matters agenda (Getting It Right For Every Child in Scotland).

The snow-balling amount of personal details to be held on every citizen makes Contactpoint or the NIR look like a walk in the park :(

Funny how there has been a push to fund this by Action for Children (one of the government's many pet charities).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/sep/16/prevent-child-abuse-save-billions

For further details of how the great-surveillance-disguised-as-child-protectio-scam, visit this blogpost: http://www.home-education.biz/Blogs/21/82/id-cards-for-babies-the-rest-will-follow/

And don't be put off by the Scottish slant - it is all the same under the various wrappings and there has been a lot of effort been put into "selling" the Scottish system recently:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/02/scottish_data_collection/

See final comment....

Scottish gov to curb personal data collection

This is spin

“The guidelines stipulate that privacy impact assessments must be carried out in relation to new Scottish Government plans and that any body gathering personal data must explain why they are doing so and how it will be used. “

The data to be gathered on every citizen couldn't really get much more personal http://www.forhighlandschildren.org/htm/girfec/gir-publications/phnr-separate-forms-nov08/phnr-v4-contents.pdf and of course why they are doing it is to "protect children" ???

Look more closely and the reason is actually to identify those at risk of not achieving government prescribed outcomes and take steps to prevent that risk materialising http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/13095148/5

Personally I find this stated reason objectionable enough.....but once these data (however carefully stored http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0009673.pdf) are for all intents and purposes "state" (Scottish, UK, EU, World) property, they can do whatever the hell they want with them.

Almost everyone on the panel (or the law company they work for) has been involved in some capacity with the development of the ecare system

At least the upfront involvement of Jerry Microsoft Fishenden is not quite so sneaky. I was,however, saddened to discover that just a few googles reveal Privacy International/Gus Hosein/ Microsoft connections. Not good :(

The SNP just don't get it http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2009/06/28/scottish-government-seek-end-to-1bn-id-card-plans-78057-21478072/ and are gaily demanding an end to ID cards while happily supporting a citizen surveillance scheme which originated in the EU and was introduced to Scotland via the Blair Westminster government and then Labour Scottish Executive. Wake up Fergus et al !!!!!!

Further background...

http://www.home-education.biz/Blogs/21/82/id-cards-for-babies-the-rest-will-follow/

Discussion of this issue...

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/general-discussion/8525-scot-govt-consultation-on-id-management-and-privacy.html#post24374

Search forums for girfec, ecare, laming, contact point etc for more info on related topics.