Welcome to the Two-Class City

This is deeply depressing.

"Britain's first hi-tech identity cards are being issued to London workers today, the Evening Standard can reveal. The cards, containing details of credit history, criminal records and immigration status, are being introduced to combat identity theft and illegal working.

Hundreds of staff at City banks, blue chip companies and government departments are being issued with them. Thousands more are expected to follow. But critics condemned the scheme, which is being administered by a private-sector company, as an "unprecedented invasion of people's privacy"......[snip]....Most of the cards are being issued to foreign nationals, who work as contract cleaners, restaurant and mailroom staff."

Foreigners? Well, that's all right then. Regular readers may recall this post from July, 2004 on the danger of RFID, and especially this one from May, 2004 on the possibility of segregation by ID.