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A government super-database

ARGUMENTS FOR:

A central database of all citizens' personal, medical and financial details would make for greater government efficiency by breaking down unnecessary barriers between departments.

All the information to be collated is already stored on databases. Sharing it intelligently can't reasonably be called intrusive.

It will benefit members of the public by making it unnecessary for them to give the same information to different government departments.

It will enable government departments to respond more quickly and effectively to people's needs.

It will help to identify and check benefit fraud.

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ARGUMENTS AGAINST:

The state's intrusion into the private lives of citizens is going too far. This would be a snooper's charter.

There is no valid reason for allowing doctors and medical authorities to access our tax records, or the Inland Revenue to access our medical records.

Far from leading to greater efficiency, it will result in more mistakes and confusion. Government databases already store huge quantities of information about us, and much of it is inaccurate.

It won't work. The NHS computer system has been an expensive disaster. Assembling a super-database is a recipe for confusion and even greater incompetence.

We have a right to enjoy privacy. We do not exist for the convenience of the state. On the contrary, government departments exist to serve us. It is time to call a halt before the nightmare of Orwell's 1984 becomes a reality.

FIRST POSTED JANUARY 15, 2007

News & Comment: News & Politics