Is it time for a unique identifier?

The Herald reports:

Yesterday Prime Minister John Key told reporters a wide-ranging inquiry would be launched into the matter.

He said there were many unanswered questions around the incident including “quite delicate issues around data-sharing”.

The inquiry would cover whether someone who was incarcerated for a serious crime, like Smith, should be able to be on short-term release without electronic tracking, he said.

I wonder if it is time for us to follow other countries and have a unique identifier for every resident and citizen. That way one can have 100% confidence when checking the passport application against the prisoner database that someone is eligible or ineligible.

There are risks with a unique identifier. you don’t want the IRD staffer able to access your online health records for example, and a unique identifier can increase risks of unauthorised access. But I think it is worth debating if the pros outweigh the cons.