Citizenship rights in a surveillance society: The case of the electronic ID card in Turkey

Abstract

Turkey’s mandatory ID card system, in place since the foundation of the Republic, is an integral part of everyday day life for Turkish citizens. The country is currently experiencing a shift from from paper-based national ID cards to electronic ID cards. The electronic ID card project commenced in 2007 and a pilot implementation was launched in the province of Bolu in 2008 by the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with The National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE) and the Social Security Institution. The electronic card incorporates a chip that carries identifying information including identity number, photograph and PIN, and also includes two fingerprints and two finger vein patterns as biometric indicators. The pilot implementation in Bolu has been integrated with social and health security systems in this province and aims to cover every resident of by November 2010. The ultimate goal of the system is to eventually provide coverage for all citizens and all governmental spheres in the country. The basic justifications for the centralisation and digitisation of the identity system are to increase efficiency in government administration and to maintain security in the era of e-government projects and European Union participation process. Right of citizenship is proven by means of the identification system and the ID card; therefore, to be out of the identification system means to be out of all administrative, political and commercial spheres of society. This study examines the necessity for and the promises of the electronic ID card and discusses the potential risks of the new system for citizens in terms of privacy, accessibility and other implications. Discussion of the meaning of government identification in the context of Turkey and developments in the identification system serve as a background for the study.