Dutch to Open Electronic Files on Children

AP ^ | 14 Sept 2005

[Grig]

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Dutch government plans to open an electronic file on every child at birth as a tool to spot and protect the troubled kids of the future.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all citizens will be tracked from cradle to grave in a single database — including health, education, family and police records — the health ministry said Tuesday.

As a privacy safeguard, no single person or agency will be able to access all contents of a file. But organizations can raise "red flags" in the dossier to caution other agencies about problems, ministry spokesman Jan Brouwer said.

The intention is to protect troubled children, Brouwer said. Until now, schools and police have been unable to communicate with each other about truancy records and criminality, which are often linked.

"Child protection services will say, 'Hey, there's a warning flag from the police. There's another one from school. There's another one from the doctor," Brouwer said. "Something must be going on and it's time to call the parents in for a meeting."

Every child will get a Citizens Service Number, making it easier to keep track of children with problems even when their families move, said Secretary of Health Clemence Ross.

"Safety, guidance, education and supervision are incredibly important for the development of children," Ross said.

All Dutch births are currently registered with local authorities.

[NJ_gent]

Come on, big government supporters, let's hear how great this idea is! We know you're out there... Hey, it's for the children!

[KevinDavis]

This is bad..

[Protagoras]

"I do not believe that the kind of society I describe in 1984 necessarily WILL arrive, but I believe...that something resembling it COULD arrive. I believe also that totalitarian ideas have taken root in the minds of intellectuals everywhere." - George Orwell

[Leatherneck_MT]

They tried making your drivers license number be your SSN here a few years ago.

The Citizens of this state got up in arms about it and forced the issue.

It's no longer a requirement.

[CzarNicky]

Being islamic should be a huge red flag.

[Grig]

Can you imagine checking to a hospital only to have them boot you out because your profile indicates it would be a waste of resources.

[af_vet_rr]

It's gonna happen here too. Just wait and see.

Some in the current administration definitely wanted it... TIA and all that was going to come with it.

Much of what became the PATRIOT Act, and what was going to be TIA (it's changed names and scope slightly, but it's still on a backburner), was developed under a democrat President, and implemented, or very nearly implemented under a Republican President...which tells me that it will happen.

Anytime both democrat and Republican politicians want something, they will eventually get it, no matter the cost.

Even something like Hurricane Katrina can be used to further these kinds of things...after all, if they had a database of everybody who lived in New Orleans, and FEMA then tracked all of the refugees (which they are trying to do, they were giving out ID #s, etc.), then they would know approximately who was left behind and where they might be.

[af_vet_rr]

Interesting article that just popped up - Pennsylvania's state Health Department is requiring school nurses to compute students' body-mass index, to be sent to the children's parents along with their report cards.

It's through the fourth grade this year, eighth grade next year, and all students after that.

Arkansas, California, Missouri, and Florida already do it. They try to say "well, we've been taking measurements for decades, we are just putting them all together", but still, it's one more way where the government wants to get involved in peoples' lives.