http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3816629,00.html

The Knesset on Monday adopted a bill establishing a biometric database in Israel, which will eventually lead to the replacement of regular identification with electronic IDs. Forty Mks supported the bill, 11 opposed it, and three abstained.

In addition to identification cards and passports, the database will also be designed to hold the fingerprints and visual scans of every citizen of Israel. The bill is scheduled to be put into motion during the next few months, and a two-year trial period will then test the system by offering membership to those who desire it.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai said he would consult the Justice Ministry on where to anchor the database, whether in his own ministry or the latter.

During the trial period any citizen desiring an electronic ID card or passport will be able to join the database and receive the benefits that go along with it. Others will receive regular IDs.

A few months before the two-year period ends, ministers will have to present the results of the trial to the Knesset and its various committees. Only upon their approval will the law be put into effect, and all citizens will be included in the system.

The information in the database will be kept secret, and will therefore not be available to public scrutiny.

During the debate on the bill MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), who opposed it, said the database was “risky, superfluous, and expensive”.

He went to the stand and waved papers he said contained private details from the Interior Ministry’s census. “Any child could do this; it’s totally breached,” he told Ynet later. “This is proof that these databases leak.”

and what’s the penalty for not going along with it?

will they hire germans to ask people for their papers?

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary has ditched plans for a giant Government database tracking all emails, phone calls and internet activity.

Ms Smith said a central store of electronic data was an “extreme” solution and would have undermined privacy.

Records of every electronic communication made by Britons will instead be held by private companies at a cost of around £2 billion.

Internet firms will be asked to collect and store vast amounts of data, including from social networking sites such as Facebook.

Launching the proposals on Monday, Ms Smith acknowledged concerns over privacy.

She said: “My key priority is to protect the citizens of the UK, and communications data is an essential tool for law enforcement agencies to track murderers and paedophiles, save lives and tackle crime.

“Advances in communications mean that there are ever more sophisticated ways to communicate and we need to ensure that we keep up with the technology being used by those who would seek to do us harm.

“It is essential that the police and other crime-fighting agencies have the tools they need to do their job. However, to be clear, there are absolutely no plans for a single central store.

“We recognise that there is a delicate balance between privacy and security, but to do nothing is not an option as we would be failing in our duty to protect the public.”

She added: “There were two elements that I think people could be concerned about. One was the state holding the data. The other was the data all being concentrated in one place.

“It is to overcome those concerns about privacy that the proposal involves Communication Service Providers retaining the data that comes from them and passes across their networks.”

Under the plans, every internet user will be given a unique ID code and all their data stored in one place.

Government agencies such as the police and security services will access the data to investigate suspected criminals and terrorists.

But it could also be accessed by local authorities and other Government agencies.

Ministers stress the content of messages and online profiles will not be stored.

More fascism. Awesome. That way when the government fucks up they can blame it on the “free market.” As Franklin said… if you are willing to give up your freedom for a little safety you won’t have or be deserving of either.

They should take after the United States’ NSA. They just tap right in and sniff everything. Constitution and public opinion be damned.