Government ID, Smart Cards, Identification and Authentication Technology

UK ID scheme seeks to cut costs by outsourcing biometrics

Thursday, May 8, 2008 in News

The UK Identity and Passport Service said it has slashed the cost of their ID scheme by nearly a £1 billion. But there are many opponents who feel that by cutting costs, citizens will be paying the price in security.

The IPS said that its cost estimate for giving ID cards to every UK national and running the system for 10 years had been cut from £5.43 million to £4.56 million. The IPS has cut costs by deciding to leave the “open market” to capture citizens’ biometrics, effectively outsourcing the cost of enrolling people onto the ID scheme. [end] 

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