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Why HK ID card is being asked for everywhere?

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  1. #21

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    The UK ID Card got scrapped by the ToryDems.

    Personally have no issue with carrying or producing ID as I always carried a driving licence in the UK which had far more information on anyway.


  2. #22

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    The comment on Canadian drivers licences for ID is a good one. It has more information on it including your address. It is used there too an identifier if you are doing transactions like in the old days at a grocery store when you want to cash cheques instead of large amounts of cash (now it is done by direct debit).

    In Canada, the drivers licence (in BC) is deemed to have more integrity than a Canadian passport!

    I use my HKID as my library card (you get a choice in HK).

    The Webb article is a very good read.

    There are instances in our business where we are being asked for copies of passports or HKID cards which an employer cannot ask for during the application process and some asking are quasi-gov't entities in HK. One of those asking was a major UK training organization that includes teacher training- they wanted a copy of the passport which to me in this day and age of terrorism is not also wrong but foolish.

    We (not often) get into a catch 22 situation as under HK employment ordinances and guidelines the employer cannot ask for a copy of an HKID in the application stage so why should we be asking as we are agents of the employer in doing background checks? I dislike the argument that the person can volunteer to give this as this to me smacks of coercion. If they don't give you this knowing they am not obliged too will they not get the job is how folks might think of this? I feel it is not right to put an applicant into this position.

    Another frustration is HK civil court records where so many Chinese names are the same and there is not always an HKID identifier which would prevent this potential wrong identification. An employer seeing a bunch of even minor suits could bail on a job offer and in HK (unlike the USA) the person will never know why. Or a potential business partner could see this stuff and wrongly conclude their new partner is a bad guy.

    Last edited by Football16; 13-01-2011 at 12:28 PM.
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  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    HKID is just like a drivers licence. So no problem at all.

    What I have a problem with is countries like Japan that fingerprint all the foreigners coming through immigration, but not the Japanese.
    Umm, I'm pretty sure that the UK does that as well mate, you just didn't notice because you are British?

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by bryant.english:
    Umm, I'm pretty sure that the UK does that as well mate, you just didn't notice because you are British?
    Nope. They sure don't. I don't think the employees at Heathrow would be able to handle such incredibly complex technology.
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  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by bryant.english:
    Umm, I'm pretty sure that the UK does that as well mate, you just didn't notice because you are British?
    Im not British and only been there a couple of times in my life. I dont remember getting fingerprinted. But I could be wrong. If Britain is fingerprinting EVERY SINGLE FOREIGNER coming through but not their own citizens, then I am against this as well.

    USA also does some kind of fingerprinting. But last time I went (which was a while ago), its was not everyone and Im not sure they differentiate foreigners from citizens.

    My point is that if you are going to track your own citizens is one thing, but then not to do this but to do it to foreigners (such as Japan), is silly and pointless.

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    Im not British and only been there a couple of times in my life. I dont remember getting fingerprinted. But I could be wrong. If Britain is fingerprinting EVERY SINGLE FOREIGNER coming through but not their own citizens, then I am against this as well.

    USA also does some kind of fingerprinting. But last time I went (which was a while ago), its was not everyone and Im not sure they differentiate foreigners from citizens.

    My point is that if you are going to track your own citizens is one thing, but then not to do this but to do it to foreigners (such as Japan), is silly and pointless.
    http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/tr...cks-at-border/

    Well, even if you don't like your own citizens, you still have to let them in right?

    Not sure if they fingerprint you if you are from a country that doesn't require a visa?
    Last edited by bryant.english; 13-01-2011 at 01:13 PM.

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Char Siu King:
    Nope. They sure don't. I don't think the employees at Heathrow would be able to handle such incredibly complex technology.
    lol, yes! Looking at the Home Office website it seems that they don't fingerprint people who don't need a visa for perposes of tourism, ie, EU and some other countries. If you had to apply for your visa you would have also had to give your fingerprint, Since December 2009 you would have had to give your fingerprint at the point of entry to UK. That's how I read it anyway.

    Given that the stated reason is stop people 'trading' visas it wouldn't make sense to fingerprint citizens...

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by bryant.english:
    Looking at the british site, it seems they are fingerprinting their own citizens (UK biometric passport holders), amongst others. Once again, this is what I dont have a problem with. I can understand the need to manage your own citizens.

    What I am against is countries like Japan, which do the total opposite of Britain and HK. In Japan, they have no identidy card at all for Japanese. But they fingerprint and photo every single non Japanese coming through immigration. They also fingerprint foreigners working in Japan. Their approach is pointless.
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  9. #29

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    you guys are lucky police dont randomly ask for your ID on the streeet./

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  10. #30

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    If it were random then we would - the fact that we don't proves that it isn't random.

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