Bangladesh elections

The UK's Identity Cards Act came into force in March 2006, and the first cards are due to be issued to British citizens three years later. The cost will be at least £5 billion, and possibly as much as £20 billion.

In Bangladesh, the government plans to hold elections in December 2008, with electoral registration based on biometric ID cards, the specifications for which haven't yet been drawn up, let alone put out to tender, nor has any budget been announced. No decision has yet been made on whether the biometrics will be based on fingerprints or iris recognition, or whether contractors will be permitted to submit proposals based on either technology.

It would be impossible to plan and implement an IT system covering 50 million people within 18 months in a technologically advanced country, and it can't be done in Bangladesh, even if donors stumped up the money.

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This week's ping pong: 1-1, 1-1 and today 2-0 to me, cumulative score 62-61 to me.