The Government has physically destroyed the database containing information on would-be ID card holders.
Around 500 hard disk drives and 100 backup tapes were crushed to pieces as the Coalition sought to bring an end to the much-maligned scheme.
The cards officially ceased to be valid legal documents on 22 January and now the National Identity Register has truly been put to bed.
Around 13,000 UK citizens had already acquired ID cards, which were first proposed by the Labour Government in 2005.
No refunds have been offered to those who signed up but the Government has claimed the 400,000 to scrap the scheme would save around 80 million, which would have been needed to keep the initiative going.
"Laying ID cards to rest demonstrates the Government's commitment to scale back the power of the state and restore civil liberties," said Home Office minister Damian Green.
"This is about people having trust in the government to know when it is necessary and appropriate for the state to hold and use personal data, and it is about the government placing their trust in the common-sense and responsible attitude of people."
Despite dismantling the scheme, the Government still came under fire for delaying publication of the National Identity Service Independent Assurance Panel's report into ID cards.
The report noted how the initiative was hampered by poor design and management.
The Big Brother Watch criticised the Government for the delay, claiming the administration "basically had other things to do and did not "consider it important enough" to release the report to the general public in a "timely manner."
See below for footage of the database demolition:
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolenNews Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
-
Lateral moves in tech: Why leaders should support employee mobilityIn-depth Encouraging staff to switch roles can have long-term benefits for skills in the tech sector
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savingsNews AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaulNews Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public servicesNews The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
-
The UK’s AI ambitions face one major hurdle – finding enough home-grown talentNews Research shows UK enterprises are struggling to fill AI roles, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet expectations in the global AI race.
-
US government urged to overhaul outdated technologyNews A review from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found legacy technology and outdated IT systems are negatively impacting efficiency.
-
Government urged to improve tech procurement practicesNews The National Audit Office highlighted wasted money and a lack of progress on major digital transformation programmes
-
Government says new data bill will free up millions of hours of public sector timeNews The UK government is proposing new data laws it says could free up millions of hours of police and NHS time every year and boost the UK economy by £10 billion.
-
Online Safety Act slammed by rights groups as bill gains royal assentNews The Online Safety Act has been described as a veiled attempt to secure access to encrypted messages
